Spirometry reference values for women and men aged 65-85 living in southern Europe: the effect of health outcomes.
BACKGROUND
Spirometry is more and more frequently used for the diagnosis of respiratory diseases in the elderly people. Unfortunately, reliable predictive values for the spirometric variables in the elderly are lacking.


OBJECTIVE
Data obtained from 429 subjects participating in the multicenter Italian study SARA on respiratory health in the elderly were analyzed in order to derive reference values for spirometry in the age range of 65-85 years. The second aim of this study was to assess the influence of variables describing many dimensions of the health status on the prediction of spirometric variables in that age range.


METHODS
Subjects were recruited as consecutive outpatients referred during the study period to 24 geriatric or respiratory institutions distributed throughout Italy. Spirometries were performed using the same equipment by specifically trained and certified personnel supervised by a real-time quality control program. In addition to the standard anthropometric variables, covariates describing the affective, mental, and general health conditions were investigated through standardized questionnaires, to improve the modeling of spirometric outcomes.


RESULTS
Reliable predictive values for forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were produced (coefficient of determination, for FVC: R2 = 0.64; for FEV1: R2 = 0.54). The effect of general health conditions on spirometric outcomes accounted for the most part of the between-gender difference in the ageing-dependent decrease in lung function.


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that a multidimensional approach to health problems should be used for a better interpretation of spirometric results in the elderly.
Pistelli
Riccardo
R
Istituto di Medicina Generale e Pneumologia, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. columbus.fpr@linet.it
Bellia
Vincenzo
V
Catalano
Filippo
F
Antonelli Incalzi
Raffaele
R
Scichilone
Nicola
N
Rengo
Franco
F
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D012016:Reference Values; D013147:Spirometry / Q000592:standards*; D014797:Vital Capacity