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Aging is independently associated with an increasing normal respiratory rate among an older adult population in a clinical setting: A cross‐sectional study
Author(s) -
Takayama Atsushi,
Nagamine Takahiko,
Kotani Kazuhiko
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.13788
Subject(s) - medicine , linear regression , respiratory rate , respiratory system , confidence interval , correlation , heart rate , cardiology , blood pressure , statistics , mathematics , geometry
Aim Clinical prediction scores for older patients are inaccurate, partially because they do not account for the effects of aging on the respiratory rate. The principal aim of the present study was to assess the effects of aging on the normal respiratory rate in older patients in a clinical setting. Methods We recruited 634 participants aged >59 years to <100 years who presented to our hospital (Iwakuni Municipal Miwa Hospital, for regular appointments without any new symptoms. We assessed the relationship between age and respiratory rate using Pearson's correlation coefficient and the Jonckheere–Terpstra test. We carried out multiple linear regression analysis, with sex, age, blood pressure, heart rate and 14 comorbidities as dependent variables, and respiratory rate as the independent variable. Results The mean ± standard deviation respiratory rate for all for all participants was 16.1 ± 4.28. The mean ± standard deviation respiratory rates for individuals aged in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s were 14.8 ± 4.28, 15.5 ± 3.62, 16.37 ± 4.48 and 17.1 ± 4.45, respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficient between age and respiratory rate was 0.17 (95% confidence interval 0.10–0.25). The Jonckheere–Terpstra test and multiple linear regression analysis showed a significant positive trend between age group and respiratory rate ( P < 0.001). Conclusions Although the correlation coefficient between age and respiratory rate was low ( R = 0.17), aging was a statistically significant factor in determining the normal respiratory rate in older patients. Furthermore, the respiratory rate increased with age. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1179–1183 .