Small lung capacity ups inflammation

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, June 27 (UPI) -- People with less lung capacity have more inflammation markers in their blood, which may up their chance of a heart attack, say New Zealand scientists.

The researchers noted that older people with reduced lung function due to smoking and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in their blood.

CRP is a marker of inflammation, and inflammation is considered a forerunner of atherosclerosis and heart disease.

To test the validity of this connection, they measured the lung capacity and CRP levels of 1,000 adults between 26 and 32 years of age.

Those who had smaller lung capacities, even if they had never smoked and had no evidence of respiratory disease, had higher levels of CRP than people with larger lung capacities.

The authors said they did not know whether systemic inflammation led to reduced lung function or reduced lung function led to inflammation, but thought their research indicated that the association between poor lung function and cardiovascular disease was strongly affected by the inflammatory mechanism.

A report on the research is published in the current online issue of the journal Thorax.