Relationship of hyperlipidemia to comorbidities and lung function in COPD: Results of the COSYCONET cohort

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 5; p. e0177501
• Main Authors: Kahnert, Kathrin, Lucke, Tanja, Huber, Rudolf M., Behr, Jürgen, Biertz, Frank, Vogt, Anja, Watz, Henrik, Alter, Peter, Fähndrich, Sebastian, Bals, Robert, Holle, Rolf, Karrasch, Stefan, Söhler, Sandra, Wacker, Margarethe, Ficker, Joachim H., Parhofer, Klaus G., Vogelmeier, Claus, Jörres, Rudolf A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 15.05.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Aged; Analysis; Biomarkers; Body mass index; Carbon monoxide; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Chronic obstructive lung disease; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cohort Studies; Comorbidity; Consent; Consortia; Coronary artery disease; Critical care; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Environmental health; Epidemiology; Ethics; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume; Health economics; Health risks; Heart; Heart diseases; Hospitals; Humans; Hyperlipidemia; Hyperlipidemias - epidemiology; Hyperlipidemias - etiology; Hypertension; Intensive care; Internal medicine; Ischemia; Lung - pathology; Lung - physiopathology; Male; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolic disorders; Metabolic syndrome; Middle Aged; Mortality; Patients; Physical Sciences; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - complications; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - diagnosis; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - epidemiology; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - physiopathology; Pulmonary function tests; Regression analysis; Research and Analysis Methods; Respiratory function; Respiratory Function Tests; Respiratory tract; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Smoking; Statistical analysis; Studies; Vital Capacity; Germany
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177501

Although hyperlipidemia is common in COPD, its relationship to comorbidities, risk factors and lung function in COPD has not been studied in detail. Using the baseline data of the COSYCONET cohort we addressed this question. Data from 1746 COPD patients (GOLD stage 1-4; mean age 64.6 y, mean FEV1%pred 57%) were evaluated, focusing on the comorbidities hyperlipidemia, diabetes and cardiovascular complex (CVC; including arterial hypertension, cardiac failure, ischemic heart disease). Risk factors comprised age, gender, BMI, and packyears of smoking. The results of linear and logistic regression analyses were implemented into a path analysis model describing the multiple relationships between parameters. Hyperlipidemia (prevalence 42.9%) was associated with lower intrathoracic gas volume (ITGV) and higher forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) when adjusting for its multiple relationships to risk factors and other comorbidities. These findings were robust in various statistical analyses. The associations between comorbidities and risk factors were in accordance with previous findings, thereby underlining the validity of our data. In conclusion, hyperlipidemia was associated with less hyperinflation and airway obstruction in patients with COPD. This surprising result might be due to different COPD phenotypes in these patients or related to effects of medication.