Summary: Physiology

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Abstract
To determine whether abnormal chemical derives to breathe in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) antedate the development of chronic CO2 retention, ventilatory and P0.1 [mouth occlusion pressure] responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia were measured in 14 such patients and 23 of their normal adult offspring. Hypoxic responses in the patients were positively correlated with the mean hypoxic responses of their offspring. Neither the hypercapnia responses nor the resting breathing patterns of the patients were related to those of their offspring. Hypoxic response was lower in offspring of hypercapnia patients than in offspring of normocapnic patients. Blunt hypoxic responses in patients with COPD are influenced by familial factors and may represent a premorbid risk factor in the development of CO2 retention in this disease. This does not appear to be true for hypercapnic responses or breathing pattern.