"Spirometric" lung age reference equations: A narrative review

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Gerontology
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Spirometric lung-age (SLA) is a concept used to estimate lung function relative to age.
• Established norms are crucial for accurate interpretation of spirometry results, particularly in aging populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a narrative review of published norms for spirometric lung-age (SLA).
• To identify and critically evaluate existing equations and algorithms for predicting and interpreting SLA.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed using PubMed, covering publications from 1970 to June 2017.
• MeSH terms 'Spirometry' and 'Aging' were utilized to identify relevant original studies.
• Six studies reporting SLA prediction equations for adults aged 18-90 years were included in the review.

Main Results:

• Six studies provided SLA prediction equations, utilizing spirometric and anthropometric data from over 32,000 volunteers.
• All studies reported satisfactory validation of their norms.
• Only three studies proposed algorithms for SLA interpretation, and all studies presented limitations regarding sample size, data, methods, and statistical approaches.

Conclusions:

• Existing spirometric lung-age norms are based on limited studies and exhibit significant methodological and statistical flaws.
• Further research with robust methodologies is needed to develop reliable SLA prediction models for clinical application.