An upper respiratory tract illness led to the 81-year-old man's visit to the office. Except for a faint, ineffective cough that is especially annoying at night, his symptoms have mostly subsided. Osteoarthritis of the knee and hypertension are medical histories. The patient still plays golf on the weekends and is physically active. He has no known environmental exposures and is a retired insurance executive. He had never smoked before. The chest x-ray is normal, and the physical examination is uneventful. In this patient, pulmonary function testing is under consideration. Which of the following alterations is most likely anticipated in this patient as a result of normal aging in comparison to midlife?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Aging is linked to several alterations in pulmonary function. Due to stiffness from rib calcification and increasing thoracic curvature brought on by osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, patients over the age of 35 experience progressive declines in chest wall compliance. However, due to a lack of elastic recoil, especially in the alveolar ducts, lung compliance rises with age. In contrast to the emphysema linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the dilatation of alveolar ducts is uniform and does not involve the deterioration of the alveolar walls.
Significantly more residual volume is produced by reduced elastic rebound and the collapse of supporting tissues around the airways (RV). However, due to a balance between increased lung compliance and decreased chest wall compliance, total lung capacity (TLC) does not alter.
Additionally, forced vital capacity falls as RV becomes a significantly higher fraction of TLC (as a result of air trapping) . Reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 second and diffusing capacity are two other age-related alterations.

An Upper Respiratory Tract Illness Led to the 81-Year-Old Man's