• Ana Raquel Gonçalves de Barros, Margarida Batista Pires, and Nuno Miguel Ferreira Raposo.
• Portuguese Red Cross, School of Health, Lisbon, Portugal. raquel.barros@cardiocvp.net
• J Bras Pneumol. 2013 May 1;39(3):317-22.

ObjectiveTo investigate the presence of airway obstruction by determining the FEV1/FVC and FEV1/slow vital capacity (SVC) ratios.MethodsThis was a quantitative, retrospective cross-sectional study. The sample comprised 1,084 individuals who underwent spirometry and plethysmography in a central hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. The study sample was stratified into six groups, by pulmonary function.ResultsThe analysis of the FEV1/FVC ratio revealed the presence of airway obstruction in 476 individuals (43.9%), compared with 566 individuals (52.2%) for the analysis of the FEV1/SVC ratio. In the airway obstruction, airway obstruction plus lung hyperinflation, and mixed pattern groups, the difference between SVC and FVC (SVC - FVC) was statistically superior to that in the normal pulmonary function, reduced FEF, and restrictive lung disease groups. The SVC - FVC parameter showed a significant negative correlation with FEV1 (in % of the predicted value) only in the airway obstruction plus lung hyperinflation group.ConclusionsThe FEV1/SVC ratio detected the presence of airway obstruction in more individuals than did the FEV1/FVC ratio; that is, the FEV1/SVC ratio is more reliable than is the FEV1/FVC ratio in the detection of obstructive pulmonary disease.

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