OBJECTIVES:To assess whether kyphosis is associated with ventilatory dysfunction in older community dwellers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: The unselected population of Dicomano, Italy aged !65 years. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 323 nonheart failure participants underwent clinical evaluation for the presence of kyphosis and spirometry. The severity of kyphosis was estimated from the difference between standing stature and knee-height-derived stature and from the occiput-wall distance. MEASUREMENTS: Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and prevalence of obstructive and restrictive ventilatory pattern. RESULTS: The 130 kyphotic participants (40.2%) had an adjusted 2.5 prevalence odds ratio (POR) for dyspnea (95% confidence interval (CI) 5 1.1-5.8). FVC% and FEV1% were lower in the presence of kyphosis (Po.01); their deficit was proportional to kyphosis severity. The ventilatory dysfunction was underestimated when reference spirometric parameters were calculated based on standing stature, compared with knee-height derived stature. Of the kyphotic participants, 56.2%, 26.9%, and 16.9% had spirometric normal, obstructive, and restrictive patterns, respectively. Kyphosis was associated with a restrictive (adjusted POR 5 2.3, 95% CI 5 1.1-4.8; P 5.021) and an obstructive ventilatory pattern (adjusted POR 5 3.3, 95% CI 5 1.7-6.5; Po.001). CONCLUSION: In unselected older persons, kyphosis is associated with dyspnea and ventilatory dysfunction of a restrictive and an obstructive type. Kyphosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of dyspnea and ventilatory dysfunction in the elderly. J Am Geriatr Soc 52: 909-915, 2004.

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Immediate, short- and long-term prognosis after in hospital CPR is independent of age, at least when possible confounders are simultaneously taken into account.