An analysis of 11,000 COPD patients found a significant association between COPD and increased mortality rates for people with arthritis.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways
- A new study found that people with both COPD and arthritis have a higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality compared to those with arthritis alone.
- The study analyzed data from over 11,000 individuals and highlighted shared inflammatory pathways and lifestyle factors between COPD and arthritis.
- Researchers emphasize the importance of COPD screening in arthritis patients to enable early diagnosis, better disease management, and improved quality of life.
People with COPD and arthritis have a higher risk of death than people with arthritis who do not have COPD, according to a new study published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.
COPD is an inflammatory lung disease, comprising several conditions, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and can be caused by genetics and irritants like smoke or pollution. The disease affects more than 30 million Americans and is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. Arthritis, or joint inflammation, is a leading cause of disability among American adults.
This new study analyzed data from more than 11,000 individuals in the United States from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018 who self-reported having arthritis. The study cohort included 1,795 participants with COPD and 9,503 without COPD.
The researchers examined the number of all-cause deaths and cardiovascular disease deaths over a follow-up period of 8.8 years and found a significant association between COPD and increased mortality rates for people with arthritis. Previous research has suggested a connection between COPD and arthritis as the diseases share inflammatory pathways and lifestyle and genetic factors.
“Our study demonstrated an increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in people who had COPD and arthritis when compared to people who had arthritis but did not have COPD,” said Chengfeng Fu, MM, a pulmonologist at the Second People’s Hospital of Banan District in Chongqing, China and senior author of the study. “These results highlight the importance of COPD screening, particularly in people with arthritis. Screening and earlier diagnosis of COPD would enable healthcare professionals to help people manage their diseases more effectively and increase their quality of life.”
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