Effects of respiratory and non-respiratory factors on disability among older adults with airway obstruction: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Background: High rates of disability associated with chronic airway obstruction may be caused by impaired pulmonary function, pulmonary symptoms, other chronic diseases, or systemic inflammation.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitudinal cohort of 5888 older adults. Categories of lung function (normal; restricted; borderline, mild-moderate, and severe obstruction) were delineated by baseline spirometry (without bronchodilator).

Obesity is associated with a lower resting oxygen saturation in the ambulatory elderly: results from the cardiovascular health study.

Background: The contribution of obesity to hypoxemia has not been reported in a community-based study. Our hypothesis was that increasing obesity would be independently associated with lower SpO2 in an ambulatory elderly population.

Methods: The Cardiovascular Health Study ascertained resting SpO2 in 2,252 subjects over age 64.