Association between neck circumference and pulmonary function in Korean adults.

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Neck circumference (NC) is a recognized indicator of metabolic abnormalities and associated with various non-communicable diseases.
• The relationship between NC and pulmonary function is not well-established, particularly in Asian populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between neck circumference and pulmonary function in Korean adults.
• To determine if NC is an independent predictor of reduced lung function.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2019 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).
• Included 3818 Korean adults aged 40–79 years.
• Employed multivariable logistic regression to analyze the association between NC and pulmonary function parameters (FEV1, FVC), adjusting for potential confounders.

Main Results:

• A negative correlation was found between NC and pulmonary function in both men and women.
• Women showed a significant association between increased NC and impaired pulmonary function, particularly affecting forced vital capacity (FVC) (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05–1.24).
• The findings suggest central obesity, indicated by NC, may contribute to pulmonary function decline.

Conclusions:

• Increased neck circumference is associated with reduced pulmonary function in Korean adults.
• This association is more pronounced in women, highlighting a potential role for central obesity in respiratory health.
• NC could serve as a simple, non-invasive marker for identifying individuals at risk of pulmonary dysfunction.