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. 2014 Sep;69(9):1205-14.
doi: 10.1111/all.12447. Epub 2014 Jul 19.

The relation of airway obstruction to asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis and age: results from a population survey of adults

D Obaseki  1 , J Potts, G Joos, J Baelum, T Haahtela, M Ahlström, P Matricardi, U Kramer, M Gjomarkaj, W Fokkens, J Makowska, A Todo-Bom, K Toren, C Janson, S-E Dahlen, B Forsberg, D Jarvis, P Howarth, G Brozek, J Minov, C Bachert, P Burney; GA2LEN network of excellence
Affiliations

The relation of airway obstruction to asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis and age: results from a population survey of adults

D Obaseki et al. Allergy. 2014 Sep.

Abstract

Rationale: There is conflicting evidence on whether patients with asthma experience an accelerated decline in lung function with age. We examined the association between postbronchodilator lung function, asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), and atopy with age using a large European sample.

Methods: In 17 centers in 11 European countries, case-control studies were nested within representative cross-sectional surveys of adults aged less than 75 years. Representative samples of participants with asthma, CRS or both and controls were assessed for postbronchodilator ventilatory function, smoking history, atopy, and treatment. Multiple regression was used to assess the interactive effects of age and diagnostic group on decline in postbronchodilator ventilatory function.

Results: A total of 3337 participants provided adequate data (778 with asthma, 399 with CRS, 244 with both asthma and CRS and 1916 controls who had neither asthma nor CRS). Participants with asthma had lower FEV1 /FVC (-4.09% (95% CI: -5.02, -3.15, P < 0.001) and a steeper slope of FEV1 /FVC against age (-0.14%/annum [95%CI: -0.19, -0.08]) equivalent to smoking 1-2 packs of cigarettes per day. Those with atopy had a slope equivalent to controls.

Conclusions: People with asthma have a steeper decline in postbronchodilator lung function with age, but neither CRS nor atopy alone were associated with such decline.

Keywords: asthma; atopy; pulmonary function; rhinitis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Forest plot showing meta-analysis of postbronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio for the interaction between age and asthma.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot showing meta-analysis of postbronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio for the interaction of age and atopy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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