ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the pulmonary functions among the elderly in Hangzhou City, so as to provide insights into the management of respiratory diseases among the elderly. @* Methods@#Permanent residents at ages of 60 to 75 years were sampled from Hangzhou City from November to December 2020. The pulmonary function was tested using a portable pulmonary function monitor, including large airway function parameters [forced expiratory volume (FVC), forced expiratory volume in a second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC], and small airway function parameters [maximum expiratory flow rate at 75% vital capacity (MEF75%), the maximum expiratory flow rate at 25% of vital capacity (MEF25%) and the forced expiratory flow rate (FEF25%-75%) at 25% to 75% of vital capacity]. The pulmonary functions were compared among the elderly with different genders, ages and body mass index (BMI).@*Results @#Totally 314 participants were recruited, including 126 men (40.13%), with a mean age of (68.49±4.47) years and mean BMI of (23.51±2.79) kg/m2. The mean FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, MEF25%, MEF75% and FEF25%-75% were (1.97±0.53) L, (2.51±0.72) L, (79.79±11.47)%, (0.98±0.53) L/s, (3.84±1.65) L/s and (1.99±0.91) L/s among the participants, respectively. Higher FEV1 [(2.22±0.55) vs. (1.79±0.43) L, P<0.05], FVC [(2.92±0.75) vs. (2.24±0.55) L, P<0.05], MEF75% [(4.19±1.82) vs. (3.59±1.49) L/s, P<0.05] and FEF25%-75% [(2.14±1.07) vs. (1.90±0.77) L/s, P<0.05] were tested among men than among women, and lower FEV1 [(1.75±0.46) L], FVC [(2.27±0.64) L], MEF25% [(0.88±0.57) L/s], MEF75% [(3.39±1.45) L/s] and FEF25%-75% [(1.79±0.96) L/s] were tested among the elderly at ages of 70 to 74 years. The proportion of large and small airway dysfunctions was 40.45% among the participants. @* Conclusions@# The proportion of large and small airway dysfunctions was 40.45% among the elderly in Hangzhou City, and poor pulmonary functions were tested among the women and the advanced elderly.
ABSTRACT
Small and large airways functions were studied in patients with hypertensive heart disease in slightly ro moderately compromised state functionally. In this study, the forced vital capacity and various flow paramaeters reflecting expiratory flow rate were determined from simultaneously recorded forced expiratory volume and maximal expiretory flow volume curves in 86 cases. The closing volume was measured by a single breath nitrogen mrthod in 57 cases and airway resistance with its related parameters by a body plethysmograph in 11 cases. These results were compared with those obtained from the same numbers of healthy controls matched for sex, age and height. In the patient group, the forced vital capadity and all the observed values of flow parameters, execpt for the ratio of the first second vital capacity to the forced vital capacity, were significantly reduced than those in the controls. When the remainder of flow parameters was volume-adjusted to the forced vital capacity, however, the mean of the peak expiratory flow rate and the maximal expiratory flow rate at the 75 percent of the vital capacity were not significantly different from that of controls. In contrast, the volume-adjusted values of maximal expiratory flow were remained significantly smaller than those in the controls. The closing volume and its ratio to the vital capacity were significantly larger in the patient group. Airway resistance and its related parameters revealed no significant differences between two groups. These findings suggest that the patients with hypertensive heart disease in a mild to moderate failure are associated with restrictive ventilatory impairment and a small airways obstruction, but with little or no large airway dysfunction.