Changes in ventilation homogeneity from preschool through young adulthood as determined by moment analysis of nitrogen washout

This study was designed to assess potential differences in ventilation homogeneity related to growth. One hundred thirty-three healthy subjects representing four stages of growth were studied: group 1, preschool, ages 34-74 months; group 2, préadolescent, ages 8-10 yr; group 3, postpubertal, ages 15-17 yr; group 4, young adult, ages 26-40 yr. Ventilation homogeneity was assessed by moment analysis of multibreath nitrogen washout with functional residual capacity, the ratio of the 1st to 0th moment (MR 1/0), and the ratio of the 2nd to 0th moment (MR 2/0) being the outcome variables of interest. Across the four groups functional residual capacity increased as a curvilinear function of height. At all heights functional residual capacity was larger in males than females and the slope of the regression was steeper in males than females (p < 0.001). Both MRs 1/0 and 2/0 were significantly higher in group 1 than the other groups, indicating that ventilation washout was less homogeneous in the preschool subjects than in older children or adults. Males of group 1 had significantly higher values for both moment ratios (more ventilation nonuniformity) than females. In the other groups there were no significant sex based differences although there was a trend for males to have a lower MR 1/0 than females in the young adults, p = 0.08. The results indicate that both age and sex are important determinants of the growth of distribution of ventilation.