Work

Age-related lung structure changes by quantitative assessment: a cross-sectional study in a Chinese male cohort

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objectives This study aims to investigate age-related alterations of lung structure. Methods We retrospectively collected 928 male subjects from an annual lung nodule screening cohort. The quantitative parameters included lung volume (LV), mean lesion density (MLD), emphysema indexes (LAA-910, LAA-910%, LAA-950 and LAA-950%), number of bronchi (NB) and volume of bronchi (VB), as well as ratio of airway to the lung (ALR). The quantitative parameters were calculated for total lung, right lung, left lung, and the individual lobes. Results LV and VB peaked in the group of 51–60 years-old and 61–70 years-old, respectively. MLD decreased with age, while LAA-910, LAA-950, LAA-910%, LAA-950%, and ALR all showed an increasing trend with age. LV, NB, and VB of the right lung were larger than those of the left lung, while MLD, LAA-950, LAA-950%, and ALR of the right lung were lower than those of the left lung ( P < 0.05). The LV of bilateral upper lobes increased with age, while a decline of LV of bilateral lower lobes was observed since the sixties. The MLD of the bilateral lower lobes decreased ( P < 0.05). The LAA-910%, LAA-950%, and ALR of the 71–80 years-old in all five lobes were higher than those of the other four groups ( P < 0.05). LAA-950 and LAA-950% of bilateral lower lobes displayed a steeper increase began at 60 years old. We also provide a computational formula, LungAge Score, for the assessment of the structural lung aging features. Conclusion Lung aging is not a linear process, and the lung structural alterations in the upper and lower lobes exhibit significant heterogeneity.

Source: Frontiers in Aging

DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1624233

Authors: Meijuan Shi, Youmin Guo, Chenwang Jin, Cong Shen

Institutions: Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University

Language: English

Topic: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Research

Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,077