Relationship between chest wall and pulmonary compliance and age

Chest wall and pulmonary compliance were measured in 42 normal males aged 24—78 years. Measurements were made using the static method and the positive-pressure breathing method of Heaf and Prime. Chest wall compliance decreased significantly with age. Pulmonary compliance measured at functional residual capacity was similar in old and young subjects. As lung volume increased pulmonary compliance decreased more in the young than in the old. The latter age difference may result from a loss of lung elastic recoil in the elderly or may be due totally to the age difference in chest wall compliance. The observed age differences in lung compartment volumes can largely be accounted for by the decrease in chest wall compliance. aging; chest wall compliance; lung compliance; static measurement of compliance; positive-pressure measurement of compliance; lung volumes; residual volume Submitted on July 17, 1964