Evaluating the extremely elderly at a pulmonary function clinic for the diagnosis of respiratory disease: frequency and technical quality of spirometry

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of spirometry in elderly people, by age group, at a pulmonary function clinic, to assess the quality of spirometry in the extremely elderly, and to determine whether chronological age influences the quality of spirometry. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study evaluating information (spirometry findings and respiratory questionnaire results) obtained from the database of a pulmonary function clinic in the city of Aracaju, Brazil, for the period from January of 2012 to April of 2017. In the sample as a whole, we determined the total number of spirometry tests performed, and the frequency of the tests in individuals ≥ 60 years of age, ≥ 65 years of age, and by decade of age, from age 60 onward. In the extremely elderly, we evaluated the quality of spirometry using criteria of acceptability and reproducibility, as well as examining the variables that can influence that quality, such a cognitive deficit. RESULTS: The sample comprised a total of 4,126 spirometry tests. Of those, 961 (23.30%), 864 (20.94%), 102 (2.47%), and 26 (0.63%) were performed in individuals ≥ 60, ≥ 65, ≥ 86, and ≥ 90 years of age (defined as extreme old age), respectively. In the extremely elderly, the criteria for acceptability and reproducibility were met in 88% and 60% of the spirometry tests (95% CI: 75.26-100.00 and 40.80-79.20), respectively. The cognitive deficit had a negative effect on acceptability and reproducibility (p ≤ 0.015 and p ≤ 0.007, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of elderly individuals undergo spirometry, especially at ≥ 85 years of age, and the majority of such individuals are able to perform the test in a satisfactory manner, despite their advanced age. However, a cognitive deficit could have a negative effect on the quality of spirometry.