The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology
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The use of baseline lung function in the prediction of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalisations, all-cause mortality and lung function decline was assessed in the population-based "Men Born in 1914" cohort. Spirometry was assessed at age 55 years in 689 subjects, of whom 392 had spirometry reassessed at age 68 years. The cohort was divided into three groups using fixed ratio (FR) and lower limit of normal (LLN) criterion: forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/vital capacity (VC) ≥70%, FEV1/VC <70% but ≥LLN (FR(+)LLN(-)), and FEV1/VC <70% and