Validez en el registro del pico espiratorio máximo de niños asmáticos de la Ciudad de México

Objective. To determine the concordance between maximum peak expiratory flow records (PEFr) reported by the parents of asthmatic children and the electronic values stored by the Air Watch device (PEFe). Material and Methods. Records of PEF measurements between October 1998 and 1999 were obtained from 42 asthmatic children 5 to 15 years of age recruited at the Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez, in Mexico City. Parents recorded the maximum value in the health diary. Spearman correlation was calculated between PEFe and PEFr and a mixed-effects logistic model was used. Results. The correlation between PEFe and PEFr was r=0.96 (p<0.05) among children with a diagnosis of moderate or severe asthma and r=0.40 (p<0.05) among children diagnosed with mild asthma. Follow-up time, asthma severity, gender and age of the child and their interactions were predictors of the differences between PEFe and PEFr. Conclusions. Parents of children with moderate or severe asthma from 6 to 8 years of age report PEF values with greater accuracy during follow-up than others.