Association Between Airflow Limitation Severity And Comorbidities In Japanese Men

Objective: To investigate the association between airflow limitation (AL) severity and comorbidities in Japanese men. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 11,200 men (mean age 52.2, SD 10.9) who underwent a comprehensive health examination including spirometry between 2016 and 2017. Reversibility tests were not performed. According to GOLD criteria, the subjects were divided into the following three groups: normal lung function (n=10,069), mild AL (n=583), and moderate-to-very severe AL (n=548). Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association. Results: When compared with the normal lung function group, subjects with AL had significantly higher coexist of lung cancer (OR 4.95 in mild AL, OR 3.28 in moderate-to-very severe AL) and asthma (OR 4.23 in mild AL, OR 11.83 in moderate-to-very severe AL), and significantly higher prevalence of comorbid ischemic heart disease (IHS) (OR 1.70 in mild AL, OR 1.87 in moderate-to-very severe AL) after adjusting for potential confounders (age, BMI, and smoking). Metabolic syndrome (MetS) (the Joint Interim Statement: JIS) (OR 1.34) and MetS (the Japanese Committee of the Criteria for MetS: JCCMS) (OR 1.38), hypertension (OR 1.41), and diabetes (OR 1.22) were significantly associated with moderate-to-very severe AL after adjustment. White blood cell count and hsCRP were significantly higher in subjects with moderate-to-very severe AL than in those with normal lung function. Conclusions: Significant associations were found between AL severity and the presence of comorbid lung cancer, asthma, IHS, MetS, hypertension, and diabetes in men. Knowledge of comorbidities associated with AL should be widely publicized to raise the awareness of COPD.