Journal of applied physiology
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The elastic behavior of postmortem human lungs has been studied in an effort to differentiate the effects of normal aging from those of mild emphysema. Static pressure-volume (P-V) curves were measured in 50 lungs obtained from men 15-85 yr of age, including 12 lungs with mild-to-moderate emphysema. The emphysema was quantitatively assessed by gross and microscopic methods. ⋯ Further decreases in alpha1 are found in most emphysematous lungs. Alpha1 is more than 2 SEE below the age-predicted mean in five of nine lungs with minimal emphysema (1-10% by point count) and more than 5 SEE below the mean in the three more severely affected lungs. There is a close correlation (R = +0.90) between alpha1 and the alveolar surface-to-volume ratio in both normal and emphysematous lungs.