Annual decline in forced expiratory volume and airway inflammatory cells and mediators in a general population-based sample

Background Few studies have examined the relationships between sputum inflammatory markers and subsequent annual decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (dFEV 1 ). This study investigated whether indices of airway inflammation are predictors of dFEV 1 in a general population-based sample. Methods The study, conducted from 2003 to 2005, included 120 healthy Norwegian subjects aged 40 to 70 years old. At baseline, the participants completed a self-administered respiratory questionnaire and underwent a clinical examination that included spirometry, venous blood sampling, and induced sputum examination. From 2015 to 2016, 62 (52%) participants agreed to a follow-up examination that did not include induced sputum examination. Those with a FEV 1 /forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio < 0.70 underwent a bronchial reversibility test. The levels of cytokines, pro-inflammatory M1 macrophage phenotypes were measured in induced sputum using bead-based multiplex analysis. The associations between cytokine levels and dFEV 1 were then analysed. Results The mean dFEV 1 was 32.9 ml/year (standard deviation 26.3). We found no associations between dFEV 1 and the baseline indices of sputum inflammation. Seven participants had irreversible airflow limitation at follow-up. They had lower FEV1 and gas diffusion at baseline compared with the remaining subjects. Moreover, two of these individuals had a positive reversibility test and sputum eosinophilia at baseline. Conclusions In this cohort of presumably healthy subjects, we found no associations between sputum inflammatory cells or mediators and dFEV 1 during 10 years of follow-up.