Duong M, et al. - In this international, community-based cohort study, researchers examined the relationships between the extent of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) impairment and mortality, incident cardiovascular disease, and respiratory hospitalisations (from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, or other pulmonary conditions), as well as analyzed how these associations might vary across populations. They prospectively enrolled adults between the ages of 35 and 70 who did not intend to move residences from rural and urban communities across 17 countries for 4 years. For the evaluation of FEV₁, a portable spirometer was used. Population-attributable mortality risk from mild to moderately reduced FEV₁% was greater than that from severely reduced FEV₁% and tobacco use, past cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. According to findings, FEV₁ is an independent and generalisable predictor of mortality, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory hospitalisation, even across the clinically normal range (mild to moderate impairment).