Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Arthritis Among US Adults, 2016

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Arthritis Among US Adults, 2016

ORIGINAL RESEARCH — Volume 16 — July 18, 2019

Yong Liu, MD, MS1; Anne G. Wheaton, PhD1; Louise B. Murphy, PhD1; Fang Xu, PhD1; Janet B. Croft, PhD1; Kurt J. Greenlund, PhD1 (View author affiliations)

Suggested citation for this article: Liu Y, Wheaton AG, Murphy LB, Xu F, Croft JB, Greenlund KJ. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Arthritis Among US Adults, 2016. Prev Chronic Dis 2019;16:190035. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.190035external icon.

PEER REVIEWED

On This Page

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
• References
• Tables

Summary

What is already known on this topic?

More than 54 million US adults report having arthritis, and more than 15 million US adults report having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

What is added by this report?

Adults with arthritis are more likely than adults without arthritis to have a higher prevalence of COPD (13.7% vs 3.8%). The relationships remained significant among all subgroups of selected characteristics after we controlled for covariates.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Assessment of COPD and arthritis symptoms by health care providers may enhance earlier detection of each condition. Evidence-based self-management programs may ameliorate symptoms.

Abstract

Introduction

More than 54 million US adults have arthritis, and more than 15 million US adults have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Arthritis and COPD share many risk factors, such as tobacco use, asthma history, and age. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between self-reported physician-diagnosed COPD and arthritis in the US adult population.

Methods

We analyzed data from 408,774 respondents aged 18 or older in the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to assess the association between self-reported physician-diagnosed COPD and arthritis in the US adult population by using multivariable logistic regression analyses.

Results

Overall crude prevalence was 6.4% for COPD and 25.2% for arthritis. The prevalence of age-adjusted COPD was higher among respondents with arthritis than among respondents without arthritis (13.7% vs 3.8%, P < .001). The association remained significant among most subgroups (P < .001) particularly among adults aged 18 to 44 (11.5% vs 2.0%) and never smokers (7.6% vs 1.7%). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, arthritis status was significantly associated with COPD status after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, risk behaviors, and health-related quality of life measures (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.5, 95% confidence interval, 1.4–1.5, P < .001).

Conclusion

Our results confirmed that arthritis is associated with a higher prevalence of COPD in the US adult population. Health care providers may assess COPD and arthritis symptoms for earlier detection of each condition and recommend that patients with COPD and/or arthritis participate in pulmonary rehabilitation and self-management education programs such as the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, the proven benefits of which include increased aerobic activity and reduced shortness of breath, pain, and depression.