HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Pogson, Z. E. K. Articles by Fogarty, A. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Pogson, Z. E. K. Articles by Fogarty, A.

The association between serum osmolality and lung function among adults

Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham, UK.

CORRESPONDENCE: Z. E. K. Pogson, Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham, Clinical Sciences Building, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK

Keywords: Chronic obstructive lung disease, epidemiology, respiratory function tests

Received: November 1, 2007
Accepted February 18, 2008

The extensive pulmonary vasculature results in the lungs being intimately exposed to circulating blood. As increased serum osmolality may be associated with an increase in pro-inflammatory activity, this has the potential to result in damage to the lungs and reduced lung function. The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that increased serum osmolality is associated with a lower forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) and forced vital capacity (FVC).

The present study was a cross-sectional study of 10,602 participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey aged 17 yrs for whom there were adequate data on all outcomes and exposures.

After adjustment for age, smoking and other confounding factors, increased serum osmolality was inversely associated with both FEV₁ and FVC. An increase of 1 SD in serum osmolality was associated with a decrease in both FEV₁ of 19.8 mL and FVC of 35.3 mL. The constituent assays demonstrated a complex relationship with both FEV₁ and FVC.

Increased serum osmolality was associated with decreased forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity. If causal, this may have implications for the understanding of the processes that are involved in the pathophysiology of decline in lung function.