Longitudinal study of the influence of lung function on vascular health from adolescence to early adulthood in a British multiethnic cohort

BACKGROUND: Vascular and lung function develop and decline over the life course; both predict cardiovascular events and mortality but little is known of how they develop over time. We analysed their relationship in a multiethnic cohort study to test whether lung function from early adolescence to young adulthood affected vascular indices. METHODS: ‘DASH’ (http://dash.sphsu.mrc.ac.uk) included 6643 children aged 11–13 years in 2003; a representative 10% sample (n = 665) participated in a pilot follow-up in 2013. Psychosocial, anthropometric, blood pressure (BP), and lung function measures were collected in both surveys; aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx) were measured at aged 21–23 years. Relationships between forced expiratory volume Z-scores in 1 s (zFEV(1)), after global initiative-ethnic adjustments and BP, PWV, and AIx were tested in linear regression and general estimating statistical models. RESULTS: In total, 488 people with complete data were included. At 11–13 years, SBP was positively associated with zFEV(1) (coefficient = 1.90, 95% confidence interval 1.11–2.68, P < 0.001); but not at 21–23 years. The 10-year increase in zFEV(1) was associated with rise in SBP (1.38, 0.25–1.51, P < 0.05) in mixed effect models adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, waist to height ratio, employment, reported racism, smoking, and alcohol use but DBP change was unrelated. In fully adjusted models, neither PWV nor central AIx were associated with zFEV(1) at 11–13 years or 21–23 years (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Forced expiratory volume change is positively and independently associated with SBP change from adolescence to young adulthood, suggesting earlier lung function plays important roles in SBP development. Vascular indices were unrelated to lung function or its change.