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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Heritability of Lung Function: A Twin Study Among Never-Smoking Elderly Women
Tellervo KorhonenMaria HukkinenTaina RantanenDaniel KotzUlla BromsAnne ViljanenJaakko Kapriosubject
GerontologySpirometryVital capacityVital CapacityEnvironmentheritabilityGenetic correlationCorrelation03 medical and health sciencesFEV1/FVC ratio0302 clinical medicineForced Expiratory VolumemedicineTwins DizygoticHumans030212 general & internal medicineLongitudinal Studiestwin studyGenetics (clinical)030304 developmental biologyAged0303 health sciencesmedicine.diagnostic_testbusiness.industrySmokingObstetrics and Gynecologylung functionTwins Monozygoticrespiratory systemHeritabilityMiddle AgedExplained variationTwin studyrespiratory tract diseasesRespiratory Function TestsSpirometryPediatrics Perinatology and Child HealthFemalebusinesscirculatory and respiratory physiologyDemographydescription
Most studies on lung function heritability have been conducted in smokers and non-smokers using cross-sectional study design. Smoking patterns may, however, confound the contribution of genetic factors. We investigated heritability of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC ratio longitudinally, excluding the effects of smoking. A sample of never smoking female twins (n = 374), aged 63–76 at baseline, answered health questionnaires and attended spirometry in years 2000 and 2003. Bivariate structural equation modeling, restricted to adequate spirometry performances (baseline n = 339, follow-up n = 252), was used to estimate genetic and environmental influences on consecutive measurements of FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC. The best-fitting models included additive genetic and non-shared environmental effects. Heritability estimates of 32% and 36% for FEV1, 41% and 37% for FVC, while 46% and 16% for FEV1/FVC were found at baseline and at follow-up. Genetic correlation between FEV1 and FEV1/FVC heritability estimates approached unity, whereas correlation between FVC estimates was 0.80. Environmental correlations were 0.69 for FEV1, 0.62 for FVC, and 0.07 for FEV1/FVC. In never smokers, additive genetic and non-shared environmental effects explain the inter-individual variations in FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC. One third of the variation in FEV1 and FVC is explained by genetic and two thirds by environmental effects. Between 2000 and 2003, environmental effects on FEV1/FVC changed, and the proportion of variance explained by environmental effects increased remarkably. Genetic effects on FEV1 and FEV1/FVC are common to consecutive measurements, whereas at follow-up, new genetic factors explained 14% of the observed variance in FVC.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-10-01 | Twin Research and Human Genetics |