Effect of prolonged bed rest on lung volume in normal individuals

Pulmonary function was assessed in supine subjects before, during, and after three separate bed-rest studies of 11 and 12 days duration. Forced vital capacity (FVC) increased during bed rest in each subject. Total lung capacity (TLC) was measured by helium dilution in one bed-rest study and increased in each subject, while residual volume and functional residual capacity of the respiratory system did not change. No change in FVC was found in an ambulatory control group using identical measurement techniques. Maintaining base-line plasma volume during one bed rest by the use of exogenous estrogen did not prevent an increase in FVC, and decreasing plasma volume with diuretics in ambulatory subjects to the same degree as seen in the bed rests did not cause an increase in FVC. We conclude that prolonged bed rest results in a small significant increase in TLC and that this change is not dependent on alterations in plasma volume.