Lung function decline and scan findings linked to later frailty
Each 1%-per-year drop in the volume of air forcibly exhaled in one second was linked to 1.47 times the odds of frailty at 10 years.
10 years, multicentre
An observational cohort study followed 2,354 adults aged 45–80 with a cigarette smoking history over 10 years. All had a normal six-minute walking-test distance at the start and completed breathing tests at three visits. Researchers assessed frailty, a state of reduced physical reserve, at the final visit. They also analysed baseline computed tomography scans, which use X-rays to create detailed images.
Greater airway wall thickening, more emphysema—damage to the lungs’ air sacs—and an enlarged lung artery were associated with higher odds of frailty. A smaller share of lung blood-vessel volume in small vessels was also linked to frailty. Decline in the volume of air participants could force out in one second was associated with higher odds. At follow-up, 297 participants (13%) were frail.
Why it matters
Frailty concerns the body’s physical reserve as people grow older. The study addressed whether lung measurements offer clues to later frailty risk in people with a smoking history.
Caveats
This observational study cannot show that lung changes caused frailty. Participants had a smoking history and met the study’s walking-test and follow-up requirements.
From the paper
- Result
… log (% emphysema) and PA enlargement were significantly associated with increased odds of frailty (adjusted ORs, respectively: 1.52 (95% CI 1.30–1.77; p<0.001), 1.38 (95% CI 1.14–1.67; p<0.001) and 2.49 (95% CI 1.41–4.41; p=0.002)), as was lower BV5/TBV …
Quoted word for word from the full text on publications.ersnet.org.
The paper
Brigham and Women's Hospital
ERJ Open Research, 12 Oct 2026
