Abstract
Background: Smoking is associated with small airways disease, emphysema and airway inflammation. Parametric response mapping (PRM) of pulmonary CT-scans is a new diagnostic tool to evaluate the presence of functional small airways disease (PRMfSAD), emphysema (PRMemph) and parenchymal disease (PRMPD).
Objective: To evaluate PRM for assessment of fSAD, emphysema and PD in smokers and never-smokers.
Methods: Healthy smokers and never-smokers without respiratory symptoms were recruited. We assessed pulmonary function (spirometry and body plethysmography). PRM was performed to quantify the relative volumes of PRMfSAD, PRMemph and PRMPD in the lung parenchyma.
Results: 98 subjects participated, 55 males. Characteristics are shown in table 1. In smokers, the percentage PRMPD of total lung volume was significantly higher than in non-smokers, whereas the percentage PRMfSAD and PRMemph did not differ significantly (table 1). A higher age correlated with more PRMfSAD and PRMemph, both in current-smokers (PRMfSAD: ρ=0.6, p<0.01; PRMemph: ρ=0.5, p<0.01) and never-smokers (PRMfSAD: ρ=0.7, p<0.01; PRMemph: ρ=0.6, p<0.01). PRMPD was not associated with age.
Conclusion: We found that current-smokers had more parenchymal disease as defined by PRM than never-smokers. Of interest, a higher age was associated with more small airways disease and emphysema, irrespective of smoking status.
- © 2014 ERS