Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Arthritis Among US Adults, 2016

More than 54 million US adults have arthritis, and more than 15 million US adults have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Arthritis and COPD share many risk factors, such as tobacco use, asthma history, and age. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between self-reported physician-diagnosed COPD and arthritis in the US adult population.

We analyzed data from 408,774 respondents aged 18 or older in the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to assess the association between self-reported physician-diagnosed COPD and arthritis in the US adult population by using multivariable logistic regression analyses.

Overall crude prevalence was 6.4% for COPD and 25.2% for arthritis. The prevalence of age-adjusted COPD was higher among respondents with arthritis than among respondents without arthritis (13.7% vs 3.8%, P < .001). The association remained significant among most subgroups (P < .001) particularly among adults aged 18 to 44 (11.5% vs 2.0%) and never smokers (7.6% vs 1.7%). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, arthritis status was significantly associated with COPD status after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, risk behaviors, and health-related quality of life measures (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.5, 95% confidence interval, 1.4-1.5, P < .001).

Our results confirmed that arthritis is associated with a higher prevalence of COPD in the US adult population. Health care providers may assess COPD and arthritis symptoms for earlier detection of each condition and recommend that patients with COPD and/or arthritis participate in pulmonary rehabilitation and self-management education programs such as the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, the proven benefits of which include increased aerobic activity and reduced shortness of breath, pain, and depression.