Spirometry has been shown to help predict risks of COPD and airway obstruction but it is not routinely performed in younger people.

Measuring lung function earlier in life would help identify people at risk of developing COPD and allow for more timely interventions, according to a new study published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.

COPD encompasses conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is caused by irritants like smoke or pollution, and even genetics. There are an estimated 30 million Americans affected by COPD, yet only half of those people know they have the disease.

Spirometry is used to measure lung function, using forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) values to determine the presence and severity of lung disease. Spirometry has been shown to help predict people who are at risk of airway obstruction; however, it is not routinely performed in younger people.

In this new study, researchers examined how lung function may be connected to comorbidities and health-related quality of life and if lung function in middle-aged ever smokers was predictive of long-term mortality risk.

The study used data from the Lovelace Smokers’ Cohort of 830 current and ever smokers, aged 40-60 years old, who did not have baseline airway obstruction. Of those, 87 participants were included in a 17-year follow-up cohort. Participants were classified as either low lung or high lung function. The Lovelace Smokers’ Cohort is a longitudinal study of people aged 40-75 with at least a 10 pack-year smoking history in the Albuquerque, New Mexico region.  

The authors found that participants with low lung function had an increased all-cause mortality risk and worsened health-related quality of life in both the overall and 17-year follow-up groups, regardless of smoking history.

“Spirometry is a simple way healthcare providers can identify people with low lung function earlier in life, especially for those with a smoking history,” said Yohannes Tesfaigzi, PhD, of Mass General Hospital. “Identifying individuals ‘at risk’ would allow healthcare providers to focus sooner on interventions, such as smoking cessation programs, that we know can slow lung function decline and make a positive impact on people’s long-term health.”