How lung health changes from childhood to old age: new insights into breathing over a lifetime

New research has shown how our lung health changes from early childhood to old age. By studying lung function in people aged 4 to 80 years, researchers have created a clearer picture of how our lungs grow, peak and decline over time. 

This information helps us understand what is normal for lung health and when changes might suggest a risk of lung disease. The findings may also help doctors and researchers plan earlier and better ways to protect our lungs throughout life. 

Background 

Our lungs play a key role in helping us stay healthy. Lung function usually increases during childhood and teenage years, reaches a peak in early adulthood and then slowly declines as we age. However, previous studies have not yet shown a complete picture of how lung function changes across all stages of life. 

This study aimed to fill those gaps by using data from more than 30,000 people who took part in long-term health studies across Europe and Australia. The team combined data from 8 studies and used new methods to examine lung growth and decline in both men and women. 

What did the study find? 

Researchers used a breathing test called spirometry to track lung health in over 30,000 people aged between 4 and 80 years. They found that: 

• Lung function grows in two phases: a fast increase in early childhood, followed by a slower increase until a peak is reached. 

• In women, peak lung function happened around age 20. In men, it happened around age 23. 

• After this peak, lung function began to decline. There was no steady phase after this where lung function stayed at this peak level for a period of time; the decline happened straight away, even in people who had never smoked or never had asthma. This decline was seen in both men and women. 

The study also explored how asthma and smoking affected lung health. It found that people with long-term asthma had lower lung function throughout adulthood and reached their peak earlier. People who smoked regularly experienced a faster decline in lung function starting in their mid-30s. 

Why is this important? 

These results help create a new reference for what healthy lung growth looks like across life. This can help doctors detect early signs of lung disease and take action to prevent it from getting worse. 

The findings also highlight how important it is to support lung health early in life. Protecting and improving lung function in childhood and early adulthood may help reduce the risk of long-term breathing problems. For tips on how to do this, visit the Healthy Lungs for Life campaign: https://www.healthylungsforlife.org. 

This research also shows the value of using existing long-term studies to understand how our health changes over time. 

This paper is part of the European Respiratory Society’s CADSET project. CADSET (Chronic Airway DiSeases Early sTratification) is a clinical research collaboration focused on improving clinical research in chronic airway diseases. By studying the development of lung health over time, CADSET aims to find ways to better diagnose and treat lung conditions. 

Read the full paper.