What is the outcome when lung compliance decreases?

When lung compliance decreases, it indicates that the lungs have become stiffer and are less able to expand during inhalation. This reduced ability to stretch leads to a situation where a larger effort is needed to achieve normal tidal volumes. As a result, pulmonary mechanics are affected, and the volume of air exchanged during each breath (tidal volume) is likely to decrease, because the lungs cannot fill as easily as they could with higher compliance.

A decrease in compliance also often leads to increased work of breathing, making it harder for the individual to take in adequate tidal volumes. In situations where compliance is reduced, such as with restrictive lung diseases or conditions like pulmonary fibrosis, the body may not be able to maintain the same breathing patterns, leading to a threshold where the volume of air taken in per breath is limited.