Arthritis and COPD together raise mortality risk

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and arthritis have a higher risk of death than people with arthritis who do not have COPD, according to a new study. The study is published in the January 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal.

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. These results highlight the importance of COPD screening, particularly in people with arthritis. Screening and earlier diagnosis of COPD would enable health care professionals to help people manage their diseases more effectively and increase their quality of life."

Chengfeng Fu, MM, pulmonologist at the Second People's Hospital of Banan District in Chongqing, China and senior author of the study