Abstract
In a pilot clinical study, OPEA allowed for distinguishing participants with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This study aimed to assess whether abnormal spirometry parameters and immunity against SARS-CoV-2 are associated with increased OPEA and estimating the OPEA reference interval. Swiss adult residents of the Vaud Canton aged 20-69 years randomly selected from the Federal Statistical Office's registries, speaking French or German, were included and examined between 1 October 2020 and 31 December 2021. General health status and presence of respiratory diseases were assessed by questionnaire and spirometry. Spirometric results were compared with the predicted values and their lower limits of norms of the Global Lung Function Initiative. SARS-CoV-2-seroprevalence was assessed using the Luminex-based test of IgG. Statistical analysis consisted of unilateral t-tests and ANOVA. Lower and upper limit of OPEA reference interval with associated 90%-confidence interval (90%CI) were estimated for the sub-sample of healthy adults by bootstrap, after excluding outliers. The study sample included 247 participants. SARS-CoV-2-seropositive participants and those with an obstructive syndrome had a significantly higher OPEA than seronegative and healthy participants. The estimated reference interval was: -0.0516 (90%CI = -0.0735; -0.0316); -0.0044 (90%CI = -0.0224; 0.0153). OPEA could predict inflammatory-based respiratory disorders, but needs further validation in different settings and for other pathologies.