LEXINGTON, Ky., May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say rapid lung function decline increases the risk of death and hospitalization for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Dr. David Mannino of the University of Kentucky Medical Center and associates found patients with advanced COPD and rapid lung function decline are 10 times more likely to die than individuals with normal lung function.
COPD results from persistent obstruction of the airways associated with either severe emphysema or chronic bronchitis. In emphysema, the tiny air sacs of the lung become enlarged and their walls are destroyed. In chronic bronchitis, the bronchial glands enlarge, causing chronic cough and excess mucus.
Ten to 15 percent of all smokers develop COPD as a result of irritants in tobacco.
Over the course of three years, the investigators analyzed 13,756 middle-aged adults, all of whom participated in the 1986 Atherosclerosis Risk in the Communities Study and provided baseline information on respiratory symptoms and diseases. The researchers tested the participants' lung function twice -- once at the start of the study and during a follow-up three years later.
The data are detailed in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
