Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1978 Oct;33(5):547–554. doi: 10.1136/thx.33.5.547

Longitudinal respiratory studies in older people

J S Milne 1
PMCID: PMC470935  PMID: 725823

Abstract

Milne, J S (1978).Thorax, 33, 547-554. Longitudinal respiratory studies in older people. A random sample of older people in Edinburgh (215 men, 272 women aged 62-90 years) was examined with the MRC questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. The FEV1 and FVC were recorded. Spirograms were repeated after one and five years and the questions after five years, the sample by then having been reduced to 133 men and 148 women.

After five years 7% of the surviving men and women had developed persistent cough and phlegm. This syndrome had disappeared in 12% of men and 2% of women. Dyspnoea had increased beyond grade 2 in 13% of men and 7% of women and had lessened only in 6% of women.

One-quarter of male and one-seventh of female cigarette smokers had given up smoking, mostly in the first year. Nearly all who stopped were symptomless before and after. In those men who stopped smoking before the study began symptom prevalence was similar to that in those who continued smoking.

Mean values of FEV1 and FVC declined as age increased, the decline being greater in FVC with resulting rise in FEV1%. Five-year differences in FEV1 and FVC were symmetrically distributed with mean differences increasing with age. Mean differences in FEV1 were 280-350 ml in men and 150-230 ml in women. Prediction equations from the first examinations remained usable for clinical work. Mean values of FEV1 and FVC at the first examination were smaller in those who died compared with survivors, whether symptoms were present or not. The prevalence of symptoms was greater in those who died.

Full text

PDF
547

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BERGLUND E., BIRATH G., BJURE J., GRIMBY G., KJELLMER I., SANDQVIST L., SODERHOLM B. Spirometric studies in normal subjects. I. Forced expirograms in subjects between 7 and 70 years of age. Acta Med Scand. 1963 Feb;173:185–192. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Drew C. D., Hughes D. T. Characteristics of the Vitalograph spirometer. Thorax. 1969 Nov;24(6):703–706. doi: 10.1136/thx.24.6.703. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. FERRIS B. G., Jr, ANDERSON D. O., ZICKMANTEL R. PREDICTION VALUES FOR SCREENING TESTS OF PULMONARY FUNCTION. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1965 Feb;91:252–261. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1965.91.2.252. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fletcher C., Peto R. The natural history of chronic airflow obstruction. Br Med J. 1977 Jun 25;1(6077):1645–1648. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6077.1645. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HIGGINS I. T., OLDHAM P. D. Ventilatory capacity in miners. A five-year follow-up study. Br J Ind Med. 1962 Jan;19:65–76. doi: 10.1136/oem.19.1.65. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Higgins I. T., Gilson J. C., Ferris B. G., Jr, Waters M. E., Campbell H., Higgins M. W. Environmental epidemiology. IV. Chronic respiratory disease in an industrial town: a nine-year follow-up study. Preliminary report. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1968 Sep;58(9):1667–1676. doi: 10.2105/ajph.58.9.1667. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Howard P. A long-term follow-up of respiratory symptoms and ventilatory function in a group of working men. Br J Ind Med. 1970 Oct;27(4):326–333. doi: 10.1136/oem.27.4.326. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. KORY R. C., CALLAHAN R., BOREN H. G., SYNER J. C. The Veterans Administration-Army cooperative study of pulmonary function. I. Clinical spirometry in normal men. Am J Med. 1961 Feb;30:243–258. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(61)90096-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Milne J. S., Chopin J. M. Reviews after one and five years in a longitudinal study of ageing persons. Age Ageing. 1975 Aug;4(3):152–160. doi: 10.1093/ageing/4.3.152. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Milne J. S., Hope K., Williamson J. Variability in replies to a questionnaire on symptoms of physical illness. J Chronic Dis. 1970 May;22(12):805–810. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(70)90082-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Milne J. S., Maule M. M., Williamson J. Method of sampling in a study of older people with a comparison of respondents and non-respondents. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1971 Feb;25(1):37–41. doi: 10.1136/jech.25.1.37. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Milne J. S., Williamson J. Respiratory function tests in older people. Clin Sci. 1972 Mar;42(3):371–381. doi: 10.1042/cs0420371. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Milne J. S., Williamson J. Respiratory symptoms and smoking habits in older people with age and sex differences. Respiration. 1972;29(4):359–370. doi: 10.1159/000192908. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Morris J. F., Temple W. P., Koski A. Normal values for the ratio of one-second forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1973 Oct;108(4):1000–1003. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1973.108.4.1000. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. NEEDHAM C. D., ROGAN M. C., McDONALD I. Normal standards for lung volumes, intrapulmonary gas-mixing, and maximum breathing capacity. Thorax. 1954 Dec;9(4):313–325. doi: 10.1136/thx.9.4.313. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Oswald N. C., Medvei V. C., Waller R. E. Chronic bronchitis: a 10-year follow-up. Thorax. 1967 May;22(3):279–285. doi: 10.1136/thx.22.3.279. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Schmidt C. D., Dickman M. L., Gardner R. M., Brough F. K. Spirometric standards for healthy elderly men and women. 532 subjects, ages 55 through 94 years. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1973 Oct;108(4):933–939. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1973.108.4.933. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sharp J. T., Paul O., McKean H., Best W. R. A longitudinal study of bronchitic symptoms and spirometry in a middle-aged, male, industrial population. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1973 Nov;108(5):1066–1087. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1973.108.5.1066. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Wilhelmsen L., Orha I., Tibblin G. Decrease in ventilatory capacity between ages of 50 and 54 in representative sample of Swedish men. Br Med J. 1969 Sep 6;3(5670):553–556. doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5670.553. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES