Why does lung compliance decrease more significantly with age compared to a young adult, even when both experience similar levels of exposure to environmental pollutants?

💡 Explanation

Lung compliance reduces with age due to structural changes in the extracellular matrix; reduced elastin fiber recoil is the primary driver, because elastin is critical for elastic recoil, thus limiting lung expansion. Therefore, reduced elastin explains decreased compliance, rather than altered macrophage activity or collagen crosslinking.

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