Prevalence of cardiovascular disease in COPD and AATD-COPD

Patients with COPD are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), independent of shared risk factors and comorbidities. It remains uncertain if alpha-1 antitrypsin related COPD (AATD-COPD) is associated with the same CVD risk compared to usual COPD. We present a comparison of prevalence of CVD in those with COPD and AATD-COPD. <bold>Methods:</bold> COPD patients from the 3CIA collaboration were compared with AATD-COPD patients from the Birmingham AATD registry. 3CIA comprises of COPD patients from cohort and population-based studies across Europe and North America. CVD included presence of heart failure, arrythmias, ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease in the AATD-COPD group. CVD was not specifically defined in the COPD group. Patients with missing data for CVD were excluded from the analysis. Baseline characteristics were compared between COPD and AATD-COPD. Prevalence of CVD at baseline was assessed with logistic regression, adjusted for sex, age, smoking status, and FEV1% predicted and presence of COPD vs AATD-COPD. <bold>Result:</bold> In total, 1141 AATD-COPD and 5988 COPD patients were included in the analysis. COPD patients were on average 14.5 years older (AATD 50.6 ± 11.8 vs COPD 65.1 ± 10.4, p<0.001) with a higher proportion of males (AATD 58.1 % vs COPD 69.0%, p <0.001). FEV1% predicted was similar between cohorts (AATD 57.9% ±30.3 vs COPD 59.1 ±22.6, p = 0.162). COPD was associated with a higher prevalence of CVD at baseline vs AATD-COPD (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.94). Ex or never smokers were associated with a lower prevalence of CVD vs current smokers (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.84, p <0.001). <bold>Conclusions:</bold> COPD is associated with a higher prevalence of CVD at baseline compared to those with AATD-COPD.