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Relationship of lung recoil to lung volume and maximum expiratory flow in normal children

A L Mansell, A C Bryan, H Levison

    Journal of Applied Physiology: Respiratory, Environmental and Exercise Physiology
    |June 1, 1977
    PubMed

    Insights

    Lung function in children shows disproportionate maturation. Static elastic recoil increases with age, while upstream conductance decreases relative to total lung capacity, indicating complex respiratory system development.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatric pulmonology
    • Respiratory physiology
    • Child development

    Background:

    • Understanding lung function development in children is crucial for diagnosing respiratory conditions.
    • Previous studies have indicated changes in lung mechanics during childhood, but specific patterns require further elucidation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the changes in static lung volumes and dynamic lung function during childhood.
    • To determine how lung recoil properties and expiratory flow change with age in normal children.

    Main Methods:

    • Measurements of static lung volumes, static expiratory pressure-volume (PV) curves, and maximum expiratory flow-volume (MEFV) curves were performed.
    • Thirty-one healthy children aged 6-18 years were studied.
    • Total lung capacity (TLC) was validated as a standard volume for comparing children of different sizes.

    Main Results:

    • The shape of the PV curve changed with age, showing higher static elastic recoil at fixed proportions of TLC in older children.
    • Static recoil at functional residual capacity (FRC) increased with age, suggesting increased outward chest wall recoil.
    • While maximum expiratory flow increased proportionally to TLC, upstream conductance decreased relative to TLC.

    Conclusions:

    • Respiratory system maturation during childhood is disproportionate, with varying rates of development in different functional components.
    • These findings suggest that the observed changes in lung mechanics are significant during childhood and likely even more pronounced in infancy.

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