Longitudinal Evaluation of the Relationship Between Low Socioeconomic Status and Incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES)

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among Users of Primary Health Care Facilities in Morocco

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem. In Morocco, few studies have focused on COPD in primary health care facilities, whose main mission is prevention. The aim of our work is thus to assess the prevalence of COPD and to study the factors associated with this silent disease among users of health care facilities in Morocco.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional observational study of participants aged 40 and over. Data were collected by questionnaire. Pulmonary function testing was conducted using a spirometer before and after administration of a bronchodilator. COPD was defined as fixed ratio of the post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second / forced vital capacity less than 0.7. Logistic regression models were applied to define factors associated with COPD.

Results

From 550 participants aged 40 and over, we selected only 477 patients with exploitable spirometry results for inclusion in the final analysis. The mean age of participants was 54.91±11.92 years, and the female/male ratio was 1.59. The prevalence of COPD was 6.7% (95% CI; 4.6 to 9.3%), and was higher in men than in women (11.4% vs 3.8%, p=0.002). The prevalence of COPD increased significantly with age, from 3.3% in those aged 40 to 49 to 16.9% in those aged 70 and over (p=0.001). Current smokers had a higher prevalence of COPD than former and never smokers. Age, smoking, asthma diagnosis and childhood hospitalization for lung disease were risk factors associated with the development of COPD. Only 6.25% of participants identified as having COPD had previously been diagnosed with COPD.

Conclusion

COPD remains largely under-diagnosed among primary care consultants in Morocco. Efforts for early detection and promotion of prevention of the main risk factors need to be intensified in order to reduce the burden of this silent pathology on a national scale.

Estimating the global prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem. The present study aims to provide a global and regional estimate of the prevalence of COPD based on spirometry according to the two most widely used diagnostic criteria of COPD: fixed ratio (FR) and lower limit of normal (LLN).

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of the literature according to PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE, Web of Sciences, and Scopus databases were searched to identify studies on the spirometry-based prevalence of COPD in individuals aged 40 years and older. The meta-analysis was performed using MedCalc 19 software.

RESULTS

In total, 42 of the 3393 studies reviewed were eligible for inclusion. The overall prevalence of COPD in people aged 40 years and older was 12.64% (95% CI 10.75%-14.65%) and 7.38% (95% CI 5.47% - 9.55%) based on FR and LLN criteria, respectively. By gender, men had a higher prevalence of COPD compared to women (15.47%; 95% CI 12.22%-19.02% for men versus 8.79%; 95% CI 6.94%-10.82% for women). Using the LLN criteria, the prevalence of COPD in both sexes was almost identical (8.67%; 95% CI 8.44%- 8.90% for men and 8.00%; 95% CI 6.42% - 9.73% for women). We reported a high prevalence of COPD among smokers and the elderly by both definitions of airway obstruction. Regional prevalence estimates using the FR definition indicate that the highest COPD prevalence was recorded in the Americas and the lowest was recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Using the LLN definition, the highest prevalence was recorded in the Southeast Asian region and the lowest prevalence was recorded in the American region. The most common COPD stage was stage II, with a prevalence of 50.46%. The results indicate a huge lack of prevalence data in the African and Eastern Mediterranean region. The results were given using a random-effect model due to the high heterogeneity between studies.

CONCLUSION

Results show that the prevalence of COPD differs according to the diagnostic criteria used. In addition, management and prevention strategies targeting risk factors for COPD are certainly needed to reduce the global burden of this chronic respiratory disease.

Association between viral hepatitis and metabolic syndrome in lung function impairment: A Taiwan community-based study

OBJECTIVES

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are associated with a higher risk of impaired pulmonary function (iPF). This study aimed to investigate the relationships among MetS, iPF, and viral hepatitis.

METHODS

This community-based study enrolled participants undergoing annual health check-ups in southern Taiwan between March and December 2019. We performed multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for demographics and characteristics to identify the factors associated with iPF.

RESULTS

A total of 2337 participants completed examinations, of whom 928 (39.7%) had iPF. The participants with iPF were elderly (68.8  ±  12.8 years old) and predominately female (63%). MetS increased the risk of iPF (odds ratio (OR) 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.27-1.81, p < 0.001). Beyond age (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.04) and smoking (OR 1.309, 95% CI 1.004-1.705), female sex (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59-0.93) and high education level (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.98, p < 0.001) protected against iPF. HCV was not significantly associated with iPF (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.90-1.52, p  =  0.235) in multivariable analysis. MetS was associated with a higher risk of iPF in the non-HBV/HCV group (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.54-2.26) and HBV alone group (OR 3.44, 95% CI 1.89-6.28), but not in the HCV alone group (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.64-1.62).

DISCUSSION

MetS was an independent predictor of iPF, especially the restrictive type, and had different effects in the HBV/non-viral hepatitis and HCV groups. Female sex and education were inversely associated with iPF.

Clinical characteristics and risk of all-cause mortality in low education patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Chinese population

Background

Education levels play a critical role in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which mainly affects the elderly, who generally have a low level of education in China. We aimed to investigate the association between education level and COPD clinical characteristics and outcomes, especially the effects of education level on the all-cause mortality of COPD in the Chinese population.

Methods

We retrieved data collected between December 2016 and June 2020 in the RealDTC, an ongoing multicenter, real-world study on the status of diagnosis and treatment of COPD. The patients were classified into low- and high-education groups. We extracted data on demographics, pulmonary function, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grades, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scores, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) scores, exacerbation history, therapy, and comorbidities, and on mortality during three years of follow-up.

Results

We included 4098 patients with COPD, of whom 3258 (79.5%) were of low education. This group had higher ages, CAT scores, mMRC scores, and numbers of exacerbations, as well as a greater proportion of females, never smokers, biofuel exposure, and GOLD grade 3. Logistic regression showed that being aged ≥65 years, being female, having biofuel exposure, having CAT scores of 20-29, and having ≥2 exacerbations were independently associated with having low education (P < 0.05). Furthermore, low-education COPD patients had a higher cumulative mortality risk during three years of follow-up than their high-education counterparts (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.75; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.17-2.61, P = 0.006).

Conclusions

Low-education COPD patients, who accounted for most of our sample, had a higher symptom burden, risk of exacerbation, and risk of all-cause mortality. Clinicians attending COPD patients should be more attentive of individuals with low education levels.

Prevalence of pre-existing lung diseases and their association with income level among patients with lung cancer: a nationwide population-based case-control study in South Korea

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of pre-existing lung diseases in patients with lung cancer compared to people without lung cancer and examine the association between income levels and pre-existing lung diseases.

METHODS

Data on patients with lung cancer (case) and the general population without lung cancer (non-cancer controls) matched by age, sex and region were obtained from the Korea National Health Insurance Service-National Health Information Database (n=51 586). Insurance premiums were divided into quintiles and medicaid patients. Conditional logistic regression models were used to examine the association between pre-existing lung diseases and the risk of lung cancer. The relationship between income level and the prevalence of pre-existing lung disease among patients with lung cancer was analysed using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

The prevalence of asthma (17.3%), chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) (9.3%), pneumonia (9.1%) and pulmonary tuberculosis (1.6%) in patients with lung cancer were approximately 1.6-3.2 times higher compared with the general population without lung cancer. A significantly higher risk for lung cancer was observed in individuals with pre-existing lung diseases (asthma: OR=1.36, 95% CI 1.29 to 1.44; COPD: 2.11, 95% CI 1.94 to 2.31; pneumonia: 1.49, 95% CI 1.38 to 1.61; pulmonary tuberculosis: 2.16, 95% CI 1.75 to 2.66). Patients with lung cancer enrolled in medicaid exhibited higher odds of having pre-existing lung diseases compared with those in the top 20% income level (asthma: OR=1.75, 95% CI 1.56 to 1.96; COPD: 1.91, 95% CI 1.65 to 2.21; pneumonia: 1.73, 95% CI 1.50 to 2.01; pulmonary tuberculosis: 2.45, 95% CI 1.78 to 3.36).

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-existing lung diseases were substantially higher in patients with lung cancer than in the general population. The high prevalence odds of pre-existing lung diseases in medicaid patients suggests the health disparity arising from the lowest income group, underscoring a need for specialised lung cancer surveillance.

A Nomogram for Predicting Cardiovascular Diseases in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common comorbidities in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which increase the risk of hospitalization, length of stay, and death in COPD patients. This study aimed to identify the predictors for CVDs in COPD patients and construct a prediction model based on these predictors. In total, 1022 COPD patients in National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) were involved in the cross-sectional study. All subjects were randomly divided into the training set (n = 709) and testing set (n = 313). The differences before and after the manipulation of the missing data were compared via sensitivity analysis. Univariate and multivariable analyses were employed to screen the predictors of CVDs in COPD patients. The performance of the prediction model was evaluated via the area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), positive predictive value (PPV), and calibration. Subgroup analysis was performed in patients using different COPD diagnosis methods and patients smoking or not smoking in the testing set. We found that male, older age, a smoking history, overweight, a history of blood transfusion, a history of heart disease in close relatives, higher levels of white blood cell (WBC), and monocyte (MONO) were associated with the increased risk of CVDs in COPD patients. Higher levels of platelets (PLT) and lymphocyte (LYM) were associated with reduced risk of CVDs in COPD patients. A prediction model for the risk of CVDs in COPD patients was established based on predictors including gender, age, a smoking history, BMI, a history of blood transfusion, a history of heart disease in close relatives, WBC, MONO, PLT, and LYM. The AUC value of the prediction model was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.71–0.79) in the training set and 0.79 (95%CI: 0.73–0.85) in the testing set. The prediction model established showed good predictive performance in predicting CVDs in COPD patients.

Different Non-Structural Carbohydrates/Crude Proteins (NCS/CP) Ratios in Diet Shape the Gastrointestinal Microbiota of Water Buffalo

The microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are crucial for host health and production efficiency in ruminants. Its microbial composition can be influenced by several endogenous and exogenous factors. In the beef and dairy industry, the possibility to manipulate gut microbiota by diet and management can have important health and economic implications. The aims of this study were to characterize the different GIT site microbiota in water buffalo and evaluate the influence of diet on GIT microbiota in this animal species. We characterized and compared the microbiota of the rumen, large intestine and feces of water buffaloes fed two different diets with different non-structural carbohydrates/crude proteins (NSC/CP) ratios. Our results indicated that Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the most abundant phyla in all the GIT sites, with significant differences in microbiota composition between body sites both within and between groups. This result was particularly evident in the large intestine, where beta diversity analysis displayed clear clustering of samples depending on the diet. Moreover, we found a difference in diet digestibility linked to microbiota modification at the GIT level conditioned by NSC/CP levels. Diet strongly influences GIT microbiota and can therefore modulate specific GIT microorganisms able to affect the health status and performance efficiency of adult animals.