Reference values for respiratory pressures in a general adult population – results of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP)

Background and Objective: Respiratory muscle pressures have been gaining increasing interest because of prognostic value. The study aim was to acquire reference values for respiratory pressures in a large‐scale population‐based survey – the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP). Methods: One thousand eight hundred and nine participants (885 men) of a cross‐sectional epidemiologic survey, called ‘Study of Health in Pomerania – SHIP’, underwent lung function and respiratory muscle pressure measurements. After excluding individuals with cardiopulmonary disorders, prediction equations for men and women were established by quantile regression analysis. Results: The final study population comprised 912 individuals (432 men), aged 25–80 years. The study provides a representative set of sex‐specific prediction equations of respiratory muscle strength. Respiratory pressures are decreasing with age and are lower in women when compared to men. Conclusions: Prediction equations for relevant respiratory pressures are given. Based on this well‐described population‐based survey with extensive cardiopulmonary investigations to exclude relevant interfering disorders a sufficient comprehensive set of reference values was obtained.