Familial Factors Affecting Arterial Blood Gas Values and Respiratory Chemosensitivity in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease1,2

Arterial blood gas determinations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory chemosensitivity, and arterial blood gas determinations in their sons were compared. Patients with silicosis (n = 17) and their sons (n = 22) served as control subjects. Arterial blood gases, pH, and HCO-2 concentration in 25 patients with COPD were averaged from at least 3 determinations (mean sample number, 10.1) to compare with the data on their sons (n = 34; mean age, 33.9 yr). The PaCO2 obtained during stable stages correlated positively between patients with COPD and their sons. The PaO2 of patients with COPD in stable stages correlated with the hypoxic ventilatory response of their sons. The PaCO2 and PaCO2 obtained during acute exacerbation of COPD correlated with the hypoxic ventilatory response of the sons. Deviations in FEV1 and V26 from predicted values correlated with deviations in PaO2 in the sons of the patients with COPD. In silicosis, significant relationships between patients a...