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Heritability of Lung Function: A Twin Study Among Never-Smoking Elderly Women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Maria Hukkinen*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Hjelt Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland. [email protected]
Jaakko Kaprio
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Hjelt Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Ulla Broms
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Hjelt Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
Anne Viljanen
Affiliation:
The Gerontology Research Center, Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
Daniel Kotz
Affiliation:
Department of General Practice, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University Medical Centre, the Netherlands.
Taina Rantanen
Affiliation:
The Gerontology Research Center, Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
Tellervo Korhonen
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Hjelt Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
*
*ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Maria Hukkinen, Department of Public Health, Hjelt Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Abstract

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Most studies on lung function heritability have been conducted in smokers and non-smokers using cross-sectional study design. Smoking patterns may, however, confound the contribution of genetic factors. We investigated heritability of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC ratio longitudinally, excluding the effects of smoking. A sample of never smoking female twins (n = 374), aged 63–76 at baseline, answered health questionnaires and attended spirometry in years 2000 and 2003. Bivariate structural equation modeling, restricted to adequate spirometry performances (baseline n = 339, follow-up n = 252), was used to estimate genetic and environmental influences on consecutive measurements of FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC. The best-fitting models included additive genetic and non-shared environmental effects. Heritability estimates of 32% and 36% for FEV1, 41% and 37% for FVC, while 46% and 16% for FEV1/FVC were found at baseline and at follow-up. Genetic correlation between FEV1 and FEV1/FVC heritability estimates approached unity, whereas correlation between FVC estimates was 0.80. Environmental correlations were 0.69 for FEV1, 0.62 for FVC, and 0.07 for FEV1/FVC. In never smokers, additive genetic and non-shared environmental effects explain the inter-individual variations in FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC. One third of the variation in FEV1 and FVC is explained by genetic and two thirds by environmental effects. Between 2000 and 2003, environmental effects on FEV1/FVC changed, and the proportion of variance explained by environmental effects increased remarkably. Genetic effects on FEV1 and FEV1/FVC are common to consecutive measurements, whereas at follow-up, new genetic factors explained 14% of the observed variance in FVC.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011