Lifetime spirometry patterns of obstruction and restriction, and their risk factors and outcomes: a prospective cohort study

Interest in lifetime lung function trajectories has increased in the context of emerging evidence that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can arise from multiple disadvantaged lung function pathways, including those that stem from poor lung function in childhood. To our knowledge, no previous study has investigated both obstructive and restrictive lifetime patterns concurrently, while accounting for potential overlaps between them. We aimed to investigate lifetime trajectories of the FEVUsing z scores from spirometry measured at ages 7, 13, 18, 45, 50, and 53 years in the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (n=2422), we identified six FEVThe prevalence of the four lifetime spirometry patterns was as follows: low FEVTo our knowledge, this is the first study to characterise lifetime phenotypes of obstruction and restriction simultaneously using objective data-driven techniques and unique life course spirometry measures of FEVNational Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, The University of Melbourne, Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust of Tasmania, The Victorian, QueenslandTasmanian Asthma Foundations, The Royal Hobart Hospital, Helen MacPherson Smith Trust, and GlaxoSmithKline.