Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Assessing COPD Risk and Narrow Airways
Disease Discoveries

Assessing COPD Risk and Narrow Airways

By Will DossSep 14, 2020
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
Norrina Allen, PhD, associate professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology, of Pediatrics, and director of the Center for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM), was a co-author of the study published in JAMA.

A mismatch between airway size and lung capacity, called dysanapsis, is a strong risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a study published in JAMA.

Much of what contributes to risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is still unknown, but taking dysanapsis into account could improve diagnosis and treatment, according to Norrina Allen, PhD, ’11 GME, associate professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology and a co-author of the study.

“Assessment of dysanapsis using computed tomography [CT] may aid in COPD prevention efforts by identifying high-risk patients,” said Allen, who is also associate professor of Pediatrics and director of the Center for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM). “In addition, dysanapsis significantly predicts progression of COPD among smokers and thus could be used to guide clinical decision making.”

COPD, which also includes conditions like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, affects more than 10 million adults in the United States. While smoking is one known risk factor, declining rates of smoking have not been not matched with a corresponding decrease in COPD incidence, and other favors such as secondhand smoke or environmental pollutants likewise fail to fully explain the 25 percent of COPD cases in non-smokers, according to previous studies.

Some previous analyses pointed to risk due to low baseline lung function from birth as the culprit. Dysanapsis is a developmental mismatch with airways that are undersized compared to their lung capacity, which reduces lung function and makes it a prime suspect for COPD risk, according to Allen.

To investigate, a group of scientists including Allen launched a retrospective analysis of two large samples: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Lung Study and the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study (SPIROMICS), totaling more than 5,000 patients.

Patients underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan of their chest at initial assessment, allowing investigators to determine their airway-to-lung capacity ratio, the primary measure of dysanapsis. Statistical analysis showed that dysanapsis was significantly associated with COPD risk among older adults, with a lower airway-to-lung ratio associated with a higher incidence of COPD.

Surprisingly, dysanapsis was even more predictive of COPD than smoking, underscoring its considerable impact over the lifespan.

While the true prevalence of dysanapsis in the larger population is unknown, Allen noted that clinicians should consider dysanapsis as a potential risk factor for COPD, especially among non-smokers. In addition, these findings are another in a long line of newly discovered chronic disease risk factors that begin at birth, Allen said.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that for COPD — as for many other common chronic diseases — early life development plays a critical role in the risk of disease later in life,” Allen said.

Health and Lifestyle Public Health Pulmonology Research Women in Medicine
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Changes in Medical School Leadership

Jan 26, 2023

Shortage of Mental Health Professionals Linked to Increase in Youth Suicides

Jan 25, 2023

Understanding How Childhood Brain Tumors Develop

Jan 23, 2023

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Changes in Medical School Leadership

Jan 26, 2023

Shortage of Mental Health Professionals Linked to Increase in Youth Suicides

Jan 25, 2023

Northwestern Medicine Scholars Program Inspires a New Generation of Physicians and Scientists 

Jan 24, 2023

Understanding How Childhood Brain Tumors Develop

Jan 23, 2023

Medical School Establishes New Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience

Jan 19, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-24
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-16
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-14
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-5
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-6
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-10
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-8
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-18
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-23
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-25
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-26

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.