Coexisting COPD and CVD detrimental to patients

Having both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with poorer outcomes and increased healthcare resource use for patients, as suggested in a study.

Researchers looked at a population-based cohort including 7,391 COPD patients. Of these, 6,378 (86.3 percent) had COPD alone, 601 (8.1 percent) had COPD plus heart failure (HF), 290 (3.9 percent) had COPD plus ischaemic heart disease (IHD), and 122 (1.7 percent) had all three conditions.

Outcomes of interest included healthcare resource use, hospitalizations, and mortality. These outcomes were compared between patients with and without the comorbidities using multivariable logistic regression and proportional hazards models.

Patient groups with CVD tended to be older, have a higher cardiovascular risk, and have increased mortality. Risk factors for hospitalization included older age, male sex, fewer spirometry tests performed in primary care, and the use of home oxygen therapy and noninvasive ventilation. Patients who were hospitalized had higher mortality compared with nonhospitalized patients.

Mortality rates were higher among patients with COPD and CVD. More emergency department visits, more hospital admissions, increased use of chest X-rays and CT scans, and a higher prevalence of depression were associated with increased mortality. Conversely, factors such as lower rates of vaccination, fewer spirometry tests in primary care, reduced dispensing of inhaled medications, and overall lower pharmaceutical expenditure were associated with lower mortality.

The findings underscore the need for multidisciplinary management and prevention strategies to improve outcomes and healthcare efficiency in patients with COPD and CVD.