Association between forced vital capacity and blood pressure across world regions
Date
2023-11-01
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Publisher
Saudi Digital Library
Abstract
Background: A reduced lung capacity is a good predictor of mortality, including circulatory mortality, and has been associated with several cardiovascular disease markers. However, evidence of this association is limited to North American and European populations. The aims of this study were: 1) to assess the association of blood pressure and pulse rate with forced vital capacity (FVC) in adults from Africa, Asia, and Europe; and 2) to examine potential differences in this association across world regions.
Methods: Using data from 3,417 adults from 17 sites of the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease follow-up study, I assessed the association of blood pressure and pulse rate with several lung function parameters. For this, I built multivariable linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, height, smoking status, body mass index, airflow obstruction, and spirometric restriction. I calculated association estimates for each study site and then pooled them using random effects meta-analysis. I used the I-squared to assess heterogeneity across study sites.
Result: I found significant associations between FVC and blood pressure/pulse rate, suggesting that a low FVC may be linked to elevated blood pressure and pulse rate. I found that a higher DBP was significantly linked to a higher FVC (coefficient = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.13 to 1.80), with moderate heterogeneity across study sites (I2 = 66.9%, P < 0.01). On the other hand, a lower SBP was significantly associated with a higher FVC (coefficient = -1.19, 95%CI -2.33 to -0.05), with relatively homogeneous results across sites (I2 = 41.9%, P = 0.04). Lastly, a lower pulse rate was also significantly linked to a higher FVC (coefficient = -1.41, 95% CI -2.12 to -0.71; I2 = 49.9%, P = 0.01). These associations were consistent across different regions of the world.
Conclusion: The finding of a significant association between FVC and blood pressure and pulse rate equally important across Africa, Asia, and Europe has important clinical implications. This can help us develop better diagnostic criteria, risk assessment tools, and treatment strategies for people with or at-risk of cardiovascular diseases.
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Keywords
Lung Volume and Spirometry Measurements, Lung volume and mortality, Lung volume and cardiovascular disease, Blood pressure and cardiovascular disease