Pulmonary function in young adults with Down syndrome: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim

To compare the pulmonary function of young adults with Down syndrome (DS) with healthy subjects.

Methods

Thirty-four young adults (17 with DS and 17 apparently healthy controls), aged 20–40, participated in this study. Anthropometric variables and lung function, namely forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and the fraction of FVC expired in one second (FEV₁/FVC%), were assessed in both groups.

Results

The group of young adults with DS had a lower height and higher body mass index (31.4 ± 4.6 vs. 23.4 ± 1.3 kg/m², p < 0.001). As regards pulmonary function, the group of participants with DS showed significantly lower values for PEF (238.4 ± 89.4 vs. 387.4 ± 52.9 L/min, p ≤ 0.001), FVC (2.2 ± 0.7 vs. 3.1 ± 0.4 L, p ≤ 0.001) and FEV₁ (1.9 ± 0.6 vs. 3.1 ± 0.5 L, p ≤ 0.001), when compared to subjects of the control group. No changes were observed in FEV₁/FVC%. An inverse correlation was observed between the body mass index and the PEF (r = −0.691, p < 0.001), the FVC (r = −0.555, p = 0.001), and the FEV₁ (r = −0.617, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Young adults with DS showed reduced pulmonary function in comparison to age-matched controls. Additionally, the pulmonary function was inversely correlated with body mass index.