Exploring if low lung function in early life impacts COPD development

We still do not fully understand why some young people have lower patterns of lung function than others. Multiple longitudinal cohort studies (studies following large groups of people over long periods of time) have found that people living with persistently poor lung function from a young age are at higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) later in life

This study will look at participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) with consistently lower lung function on breathing tests (spirometry). We will invite them to take part in a new test, called a computed cardiopulmonography, developed at the University of Oxford. This new test will provide more detailed information about how well different parts of their lungs are functioning.

We will compare their results to those of ALSPAC participants whose lung function has remained within the normal range. By taking a closer look at how different parts of their lungs work, and potentially combining this with information from lung scans, we hope to learn more about what causes different patterns of lung function over time. This could help us predict who might be at higher risk of COPD.

Project aims

We will:

• Explore how different parts of the lung work in people with diverse spirometry results between childhood and early adulthood
• Assess what may be causing low patterns of lung function between childhood and early adulthood
• Provide data which could eventually help to predict who is at higher risk of developing COPD

What we hope to achieve

We hope that getting detailed information about the structural and functional differences in the lungs of people with persistently low lung function will help us:

• Assess what may be causing it
• Identify factors leading to poor lung function and COPD in later life

We plan to explore whether the additional testing could help identify people with low patterns of lung function without the need for multiple assessments over time.

Our eventual aim is to use this approach to identify candidates for trials of early interventions aimed at improving low patterns of lung function and preventing COPD.

Research team

Professor James Dodd, Dr Jack Grenville, Dr Nayia Petousi and Professor Peter Robbins will be working on this project.