Li Shujing, Li Yaguang, Kong Meibao, Zhang Chenguang, Geng Yulan, Sun Mengyue, He Li, Li Shengnan, Liu Huaijun
Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China (mainland).
Department of Laboratory, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China (mainland).
Med Sci Monit. 2021 Aug 26;27:e931006. doi: 10.12659/MSM.931006.
BACKGROUND Respiratory function usually worsens in the elderly with aging. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate tracheal changes caused by "normal aging" through use of low-dose CT (LDCT) in non-smoking asymptomatic urban residents and the related factors influencing tracheal changes. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 733 Chinese subjects who underwent LDCT were recruited. The trachea shape, width, and calcification degree of the tracheal wall were measured and compared between males and females and among different age groups. The effects of age, sex, trachea morphology, BMI, BP, GLU, TC, TG, HDL, and LDL on the width and calcification of tracheal wall were analyzed by multiple linear regression. RESULTS Significant sex differences in trachea shape were found, as type II and type I were found mainly in the males and females, respectively. The values of anterior-posterior inner diameter (AP), left-right inner diameter (LR), width, and calcification score of tracheae in the males were higher than that in the females. In both males and females, trachea AP, wall width, and calcification scores increased with age, but this trend was not observed in tracheal LR. Age, sex, and trachea shape had significant effects on the width and calcification scores of tracheal walls, and trachea calcification was one of the factors influencing tracheal wall width. CONCLUSIONS Tracheal aging can be evaluated by measuring trachea shape, thickness, and the degree of calcification of the tracheal wall by LDCT, while sex and age should be taken into consideration comprehensively for judging normal trachea aging. In addition, obesity may aggravate trachea aging.
背景 随着年龄增长，老年人的呼吸功能通常会恶化。本研究旨在通过对非吸烟无症状城市居民进行低剂量CT（LDCT）检查，回顾性研究“正常衰老”引起的气管变化以及影响气管变化的相关因素。材料与方法 共招募了733名接受LDCT检查的中国受试者。测量并比较了男性和女性以及不同年龄组之间的气管形状、宽度和气管壁钙化程度。通过多元线性回归分析年龄、性别、气管形态、体重指数（BMI）、血压（BP）、血糖（GLU）、总胆固醇（TC）、甘油三酯（TG）、高密度脂蛋白（HDL）和低密度脂蛋白（LDL）对气管壁宽度和钙化的影响。结果 发现气管形状存在显著性别差异，II型主要见于男性，I型主要见于女性。男性气管的前后内径（AP）、左右内径（LR）、宽度和钙化评分值均高于女性。在男性和女性中，气管AP、壁宽度和钙化评分均随年龄增加而增加，但气管LR未观察到这种趋势。年龄、性别和气管形态对气管壁宽度和钙化评分有显著影响，气管钙化是影响气管壁宽度的因素之一。结论 可通过LDCT测量气管形状、厚度和气管壁钙化程度来评估气管老化，在判断正常气管老化时应综合考虑性别和年龄。此外，肥胖可能会加重气管老化。
