Restrictive Pulmonary Dysfunction at Spirometry and Mortality in the Elderly

Objectives: To evaluate the association between pulmonary restriction and mortality in the elderly, taking into account potential confounders not considered in the past (disability, cognitive dysfunction, diabetes, and visceral obesity).

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting: Community-based.

Participants: Twelve hundred sixty-five patients (51.9% men) aged 65-97 years old from the Salute Respiratoria nell'Anziano (SaRA) Italian multicentric study.

Measurements: Participants were divided in 4 groups: normal spirometry (NS): FEV1/FVC > or = 70%, FVC > or = 80% of predicted; restrictive ventilatory pattern (RVP): FEV1/FVC > or = 70%, FVC<80%; obstructive ventilatory pattern (OVP): FEV1/FVC < 70%, FVC > or = 80%, and mixed ventilatory pattern (MVP): FEV1/FVC < 70%, FVC < 80%. We calculated the association between restriction and mortality corrected for potential confounders using a multivariable Cox regression model.

Results: We found a prevalence of RVP, OVP and MVP of 10.9%, 25.4%, and 17.3%, respectively. Compared to people with normal spirometric pattern, disability (19.6% vs. 10.1%), poor physical performance (35.4% vs. 22.3%), cognitive impairment (21.0% vs. 11.5%), increased waist circumference (62.1% and 26.8%), and kyphoscoliosis (56.8 and 13.5%) were more prevalent in the RVP group. After correction for potential confounders, RVP was associated with increased mortality (HR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.15-3.11), as well as OVP (HR: 2.33; 95% CI: 1.58-3.11) and MVP (HR: 2.60; 95% CI: 1.74-3.93). Other factors associated with mortality were disability (HR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.35-2.72), poor physical performance (HR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.01-1.85), cognitive impairment (HR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.06-2.27), depression (HR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.16-2.13) and diagnosis of stroke (HR: 1.90; 95% CI: 1.18-3.05).

Conclusions: RVP is associated with higher mortality in the elderly and, thus, deserves the same attention paid to an obstructive pattern. However, mechanisms mediating this association need to be clarified.