Asthma, Smoking, Chronic Sinusitis Tied to Early COPD Risk

FRIDAY, Sept. 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Asthma, having ever smoked, and chronic sinusitis are associated with increased odds for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) before age 50 years among Hispanics, according to a study published online Sept. 1 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Fariha Khalid, M.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined the prevalence and risk factors of early COPD using data from 7,323 participants aged younger than 50 years in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

The researchers found that the sex- and age-adjusted prevalence of early COPD was 7.7 percent. Increased odds of early COPD were seen with asthma (odds ratio, 3.45), smoking status (ever versus never, odds ratio, 1.71), and chronic sinusitis (odds ratio, 1.63). Lower odds of early COPD were seen for Hispanic immigrants versus U.S.-born Hispanics. Pack-years among smokers were not associated with early COPD. The mean population attributable risks for asthma, smoking status, and chronic sinusitis were 26.5, 21.4, and 6.7 percent, respectively.

“We used population attributable risk to calculate the burden of early COPD that would be eliminated if the environmental exposure was eliminated,” a coauthor said in a statement. “This information might help the decision-making process to allocate resources to public health programs, such as smoking cessation.”

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