[IMJ On-Air] Race-neutral equations for classification of lung function

Spirometry reference equations are central to differentiating obstructive ventilatory defects, like asthma and bronchiectasis from restrictive ventilatory defects, like sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Across the population, the metrics of lung function testing fall out on a bell-curve, and a person’s predicted score if health can be determined by putting their sex, age and height into a reference equation. The shape of this bell curve does change from one population group to t...