Dheeraj Khatri, Abhishek Biswas Ghosh
BACKGROUND: Pulmonary Function Tests are designed to determine as to how well the lungs are working. Differences in lung function is observed among people residing at high altitudes and those belonging to plain terrains. A number of researchers in India have investigated the use of drugs and smoking among medical students. We wanted to evaluate the regional differences in the lung function between students of the North Eastern States and the students from the rest of the country and to identify the differences between lung function among smokers and non-smokers in people from the two groups. METHODS The research was carried out among 326 young healthy individuals in the age group of 17- 35 years of the college. The students were asked to fill a questionnaire asking their demographic details and details of smoking habits. Following which they were asked to fill Fagerstrom Questionnaire if they were smoking currently. A spirometric analysis was performed thereafter on them using a computerised spirometry. RESULTS The results suggested that smokers had lower lung function values as compared to non-smokers and majority of the smokers had moderate dependence on nicotine. There was no significant difference among the students of north eastern states and those from other parts of the country. CONCLUSIONS There was no significant difference in lung functioning in the two groups because of the presence of migratory population in the hilly areas and since the ethnic difference was not taken into account. The lower FVC value in smokers could be attributed to weakened muscles and lung changes as compared to non-smokers.
