Hospital Moinhos de Vento.
J Bras Pneumol. 2012 Jul-Aug;38(4):494-502. doi: 10.1590/s1806-37132012000400012.
To investigate the effects of age on pulmonary emphysema, based on the values of the emphysema index (EI) in a cohort of patients who had never smoked and who had no recognizable lung disease.
We reviewed the CT scans, reported as normal, of 315 patients. Exclusion criteria were a history of smoking, cardiorespiratory disease, and exposure to drugs that could cause lung disease. From this cohort, we selected 32 patients (16 men and 16 women), matched for gender and body mass index, who were divided equally into two groups by age (< 50 years and > 50 years). We quantified emphysema using a computer program specific to that task. The EI was calculated with a threshold of -950 HU. We also evaluated total lung volume (TLV) and mean lung density (MLD).
The overall means for TLV, MLD, and EI were 5,027 mL, -827 HU, and 2.54%, respectively. Mean values in the older and younger groups, respectively, were as follows: for TLV, 5,229 mL vs. 4,824 mL (p > 0.05); for MLD, -846 HU vs. -813 HU (p < 0.04); and for EI, 3.30% vs. 1.28% (p < 0.001). Significant correlations were found between EI and age (r = 0.66; p = 0.001), EI and TLV (r = 0.58; p = 0.001), and EI and MLD (r = -0.67; p < 0.001). The predicted EI per age was defined by the regression equation (r² = 0.43): p50(EI) = 0.049 × age - 0.5353.
It is important to consider the influence of age when quantifying emphysema in patients over 50 years of age. Based on the regression analysis, EI values of 2.6%, 3.5%, and 4.5% can be considered normal for patients 30, 50, and 70 years of age, respectively.
基于从未吸烟且无明显肺部疾病的患者队列中肺气肿指数（EI）的值，研究年龄对肺气肿的影响。
我们回顾了 315 名患者的 CT 扫描结果，这些结果均报告为正常。排除标准包括吸烟史、心肺疾病和接触可能导致肺部疾病的药物。在这个队列中，我们选择了 32 名患者（16 名男性和 16 名女性），按性别和体重指数匹配，分为年龄组（<50 岁和>50 岁），每组各 16 名。我们使用专门的计算机程序量化肺气肿。使用-950 HU 的阈值计算 EI。我们还评估了总肺容积（TLV）和平均肺密度（MLD）。
TLV、MLD 和 EI 的总体平均值分别为 5027 mL、-827 HU 和 2.54%。年龄较大和较小组的平均值分别为：TLV 为 5229 mL 比 4824 mL（p>0.05）；MLD 为-846 HU 比-813 HU（p<0.04）；EI 为 3.30%比 1.28%（p<0.001）。EI 与年龄（r=0.66；p=0.001）、EI 与 TLV（r=0.58；p=0.001）和 EI 与 MLD（r=-0.67；p<0.001）之间存在显著相关性。根据回归方程（r²=0.43），定义了每个年龄的预测 EI：p50（EI）=0.049×年龄-0.5353。
在对 50 岁以上患者进行肺气肿定量时，必须考虑年龄的影响。根据回归分析，年龄分别为 30、50 和 70 岁的患者的 EI 值分别为 2.6%、3.5%和 4.5%时可视为正常。
