Chronic airway diseases linked to increased pertussis infection risk

Patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) appear to have an elevated risk of pertussis infection, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for observational studies in which the association between asthma and COPD and the risk of pertussis infection was evaluated. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Random-effects meta-analyses (DerSimonian–Laird) were performed when ≥3 studies reported comparable measures, whereas results were synthesized descriptively otherwise.

Seven cohort and three case-control studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. These studies included a total of more than 18 million participants.

Pooled data showed that asthma was associated with a more than twofold increased odds of pertussis infection (odds ratio [OR], 2.29, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.94–2.69; I2=89 percent). Similarly, COPD was associated with twofold greater odds of pertussis infection (OR, 2.00, 95 percent CI, 1.53–2.62; I2=94 percent).

A supplementary risk ratio (RR)-based analysis supported the association between asthma and pertussis infection (RR, 3.36, 95 percent CI, 2.77–4.08).

These findings highlight the opportunity for targeted prevention in patients with chronic airway disease, according to the researchers. Clinical identification and vaccination management should be strengthened to minimize preventable infections and reduce the public health burden, they added.