Older Adults with Chronic Lung Disease Report Less Limitation Compared with Younger Adults with Similar Lung Function Impairment

摘要

Rationale: Disability guidelines are often based on pulmonary function testing, but factors other than lung function influence how an individual experiences physiologic impairment. Age may impact the perception of impairment in adults with chronic lung disease.Objectives: To determine if self-report of physical functional impairment differs between older adults with chronic lung disease compared with younger adults with similar degrees of lung function impairment.Methods: The Lung Tissue Research Consortium provided data on 981 participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and interstitial lung disease who were well characterized with clinical, radiological, and pathological diagnoses. We used multiple logistic regression to determine if responses to health status questions (from the Short Form-12 and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire) related to perception of impairment differed in older adults (age ^ 65 yr, n = 427) compared with younger adults (age < 65 yr, n = 393).