TY - JOUR T1 - Influence of ventilation inhomogeneity on diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide in smokers without COPD JF - ERJ Open Research JO - erjor DO - 10.1183/23120541.00706-2020 VL - 7 IS - 1 SP - 00706-2020 AU - Johanna Manuela Kurz AU - Jeannette Frey AU - Reto Auer AU - Nicolas Rodondi AU - Sylvia Nyilas AU - Nikolay Pavlov AU - Manuela Funke-Chambour AU - Florian Singer Y1 - 2021/01/01 UR - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/7/1/00706-2020.abstract N2 - Early detection of subclinical lung function impairment may enable a window of opportunity to slow down the progression of developing COPD [1, 2]. Single-breath carbon monoxide uptake in the lungs (DLCO) can be used as a screening test for mild lung function impairment in smokers [3]. Yet despite being readily used in common practice, the physiology is complex and depends on gas ventilation in the airways, diffusion through the alveolar membrane and the volume of haemoglobin in the capillaries supplying ventilated alveoli [4].In smokers with preserved spirometry, DLCO is associated with ventilation inhomogeneity arising from peripheral airways. Measurement of DLCO to screen for early lung function abnormalities in smokers may be suboptimal and could be replaced by MBW. https://bit.ly/3nLmgg1The authors thank all participants, collaborators and study nurses for collecting the lung function measurements, especially: Michèle Tschiemer Jenzer and Tanja Hermann (Dept of Pulmonary Medicine, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland). Further, the authors thank Amie Rae Wallman Jones for proofreading the manuscript. ER -