During the epidemic of influenza A2 in February, 1962, studies on the pulmonary function of the ten influenza patients, nurses in our hospital attacked by influenza were carried out. All of them showed only the clinical picture of upper respiratory disease and bronchitis. Complement-fixation test and hemagglutination-inhibition test yielded positive result in six of them, and in four of them, respectively, and influenza virus was detected from nasal smear by fluorescent antibody technique. Pulmonary function test was carried out twice, namely in acute phase and two months thereafter.
The patterns of pulmonary function in influenza were as follows
1) Vital capacity was scarcely influenced.
2) Functional residual capacity and residual volume were reduced.
3) Tidal volume and minute volume were scarcely influenced.
4) 3/4 sec. vital capacity (FEV
0.75) and 1 sec. vital capacity (FEV
1.0) were similarly reduced,
2 sec. vital capacity (FEV
2.0), however, was not the case.
5) M.M.F. was reduced in the same way as 3/4 sec. vital capacity and 1 sec. vital capacity.
6) The same tendencies were observed in M.B.C. and A.V.I.
7) The disturbance of pulmonary function in influenza, including no pneumonia, was of obstructive (not restrictive) type and mostly slight.
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