Journal article

Symptoms and lung function decline in a middle-aged cohort of males and females in Australia

MJ Abramson, S Kaushik, GP Benke, BM Borg, CL Smith, SC Dharmage, BR Thompson

International Journal of Copd | DOVE MEDICAL PRESS LTD | Published : 2016

Abstract

Background: The European Community Respiratory Health Survey is a major international study designed to assess lung health in adults. This Australian follow-up investigated changes in symptoms between sexes and the roles of asthma, smoking, age, sex, height, and change in body mass index (ΔBMI) on lung function decline (LFD), which is a major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: LFD was measured as the rate of decline over time in FEV1 (mL/year) (ΔFEV1) and FVC (ΔFVC) between 1993 and 2013. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate associations between risk factors and LFD, separately for males and females. Multiple logistic regression was used to asse..

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Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

The ECRHS in Australia was funded by the Asthma Foundation of Victoria, Allen + Hanburys and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Haydn Walters was an investigator in ECRHS I in Melbourne. We thank Joan Raven, Anna Lanigan, Paulette Theodoulis, Mahesh Dharmakumara, Christopher Stuart-Andrews, and Natalie Zajakovski for their assistance in testing participants.