Your chronological age and organ age may not always go hand in hand. Sometimes, younger people have organs that have aged beyond their years, and the lungs are no exception. This means you may be young, but your lungs could be functioning like those of someone much older.
Much like chronological age, lung age is expressed in years, but it tells how well your lungs are functioning and whether they have sustained premature damage. What does a specialist have to say on this? Dr Souparna Saha, pulmonologist at Naryana RN Tagore Hospital, Mukundapur, Kolkata, described what lung age means, why younger adults may have older lungs, and which factors accelerate the decline in lung function. He raised concern over premature lung ageing: “Your birthdays tell you how old you are, but they can’t tell you how well your lungs are working. So, you cannot judge your lung health from chronological age alone. But he also clarified that lung age is not a projection of life expectancy. It is just that a significant gap between lung age and chronological age requires medical evaluation. Declining lung health shows up in some signs. You may start to become sedentary and take the elevator instead of the stairs. The causes of your symptoms should be examined before you assume it is age. Declining lung function may quietly make routine physical activities feel more exhausting. If you experience these signs, your lung age may be higher than your chronological age, and it may be time to consult a doctor. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
It has been found that some 30- and 40-year-olds have lung function that is similar to someone much older, while others have good lung function into much later life. The situation is alarming, as the pulmonologist cited the World Health Organization’s finding, which estimates that 50 to 55 million people in India have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a primary condition linked to prematurely aging and damaged lungs. Because you feel fatigued and out of breath, slowing down and avoiding activities you once loved become the new norm. Because you feel breathless and fatigued, you may begin avoiding stairs or walking more slowly.
He said it is measured with a spirometry test, a simple breathing test that measures how much air you can breathe out and how fast. The pulmonologist said, “The first signs of lung deterioration can be invisible and dismissed.
Lung damage may begin in the smaller, less noticeable parts of the respiratory system, even before more serious symptoms or conditions develop. One such is small airways disease.
Dr Saha shared, “The small airways represent the terminal portion of the respiratory airway system and may be among the earliest parts of the lungs to show abnormalities before the development or progression of chronic lung diseases such as COPD.”
Your chronological age cannot tell how well your lungs are working. Lung age is a way to understand lung capacity, based on what is expected for someone with your physical profile. Dr Saha described,“It’s a measure of how well your lungs are working compared with the lungs of a healthy person of the same age, sex, and height. There are several lifestyle, environmental, occupational, and biological factors that cause the lungs to age faster than expected:
