The findings of a recent study reveal that COPD is associated with an increased risk of death among patients with chronic kidney disease.

In a study that included 56,960 patients with stages 3 and 4 CKD, researchers led by Sankar D. Navaneethan, MD, MS, MPH, of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, found that the presence COPD was associated with a 41% increased risk for all-cause mortality and a 4-fold increased risk for respiratory-related deaths after adjusting for potentially confounding variables.

“These data highlight the need for further prospective studies to understand the underlying mechanisms and potential interventions to improve outcomes in this population,” the authors concluded in a paper published in the American Journal of Nephrology (2016;43:39-46).

Of the 56,960 patients, 2,667 (4.7%) had underlying COPD. During a median follow-up of 3.7 years, 15,969 patients died. The mean ages of the patients with and without COPD were 74.6 and 72.2 years, respectively.

Factors found to be significantly associated with having COPD include older age, diabetes, coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure (CHF), hypertension, and smoking. Each 10-year increment in age was associated with 26% increased odds of having COPD. Diabetics had a 19% increased odds compared with non-diabetics. Patients with CAD, CHF, and hypertension had 1.6, 2.3, and 3.0 times increased odds, respectively, compared with patients without these conditions. Smokers had a 2.9 times increased odds compared with non-smokers.

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