Rapid lung function decline is dangerous

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at risk of hospitalization and death if they have rapidly declining lung function.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) arises from gradual destruction of lung tissue and leads to increasing breathlessness and disability. Researchers at the University of Kentucky Medical Center now report on a study of lung function among those with COPD.

They measured lung function in a group of nearly 14,000 adults in the Atherosclerosis Risk in the Communities Study. One quarter had rapidly declinining lung function between measurements three years apart. Of the 720 subjects who died during the study, 38 per cent were rapid decliners. Also, patients with known COPD who were also rapid decliners had a 40 times higher hospitalization risk compared to those who had normal lung function. Those with advanced COPD and rapid lung function decline were ten times more likely to die than those with normal lung function. Clearly this is an important risk factor for those with COPD and needs careful monitoring.

Source
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 1st May 2006

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