A new study presented at the European Respiratory Society’s Annual Congress in Amsterdam, shows that underweight chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients have a higher risk of mortality risk.
According to predictions made by The World Health Organization, COPD will be the third major cause of mortality worldwide by 2030. COPD is often accompanied by a several co-morbid conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, muscle wasting, type-2 diabetes and asthma.
In the new study researchers evaluated the connection between mortality rates and the weight of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients whilst also assessing connections to other co-existing diseases, such as heart disease.
The study involved 552 patients, who filled in a questionnaire reporting their age, education, smoking status and level of care. Researchers also assessed patients’ lung function and history of co-morbidities.
After adjusting the results for variables, such as age, sex, lung function and smoking, the study findings revealed that heart disease, hypertension and being underweight were all linked to a higher mortality risk in COPD patients, showing that those underweight faced a 1.7-times higher risk of death compared with people of a normal body weight. They also discovered that people with heart disease or cardiac failure had a 1.9-times higher risk of death compared to those suffering from COPD alone.
These findings represent significant implications for health practitioners working in both primary and secondary care settings.
Dr Bjorn Stallberg from the Uppsala University in Sweden concluded:
“As the population is aging, people are more likely to suffer from more than one condition at the any given time. It will be important for clinicians to recognize other symptoms outside of their specialist area to ensure patients are receiving all the necessary treatment. The findings of this study have shown that heart disease and being underweight are very serious conditions and therefore should be taken into consideration when managing patients with COPD.”
Written by Petra Rattue