Abstract
Background: Several lung structural and functional abnormalities may occur associated withaging, including emphysema. In this study, we evaluated the frequency and risk factors associated with emphysema in respiratory asymptomatic individuals enrolled in our Lung Aging Program. From a cohort of 687 subjects, we found by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) 29 individuals (4%) withemphysematous changes that were compared with 87 controls (3:1) randomly selected from the same cohort. Methods: This was atransversal, observational, case-control study where we examined demographics and functional characteristics, as well as telomere length and serum Klotho concentration, two conditions that have been associated with aging and some aging-associated diseases including emphysema. Results: Individuals with subclinical pulmonary emphysema were older (72 ± 9 versus 67 ± 6 years), and primarily smoker males with low body mass index. Despite that they were asymptomatic, two of them exhibited a decrease of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ),with a lower FEV 1 /FVC suggesting airway obstruction. Cigarette smoking (OR=5.43, CI95% 1.8-16.7), family history of lung disease (OR=4.32, CI95% 1.0-19.0) and lower body mass index (OR 7.22, CI95% 1.2-3.5)were risk factors for the development of lung emphysematous changes. No association was found with telomere length and Klotho serum concentration. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that a small but important percentage of olderpeople without respiratory symptoms, present pulmonary emphysema and indicate that smoking exposure and genetic background may contribute as etiological factors.
Body mass index and shortened telomere length in middle-aged female and male RUNNING HEAD: Middle-aged and shortened telomere length
