Aging and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome are associated with increases in the number of interalveolar pores, a recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found.
An aging cohort of 20 lungs from donors who had never smoked were examined via electron microscopy to evaluate the size and number of interalveolar pores. The relationship of interalveolar pores with age was analyzed using univariate linear regression with Pearson correlation.
The investigators then compared this aging cohort with 10 bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) explant lungs using multivariate linear regression analysis, adjusted for the donor’s age and sex.
The investigators found a significant association between pore numbers and age but no association between aging and pore size. The study also revealed an approximately 3-fold increase in interalveolar pore numbers in BOS vs aging lungs but similar pore sizes. The sex of donors was not significantly associated with either pore numbers or size.
