Front Epidemiol. 2026 Jun 25;6:1840095. doi: 10.3389/fepid.2026.1840095. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are two independent leading causes of morbidity and death, with co-existence contributing substantially to morbidity and deaths among aging populations. Despite growing evidence on the impact of COPD-CVD co-existence, little is known about COPD-CHD co-morbidity, as other previous studies mostly examine CVD as a single aggregated health outcome, obscuring disease-specific trajectories.
OBJECTIVE: To assess 5-year national trends and sociodemographic disparities in the prevalence of coexisting CHD-COPD co-morbidity.
METHODS: Using the 2020-2024 National Health Interview Survey Integrated Public Use Microdata Series adults' dataset, we estimated the national prevalence of CHD-COPD co-morbidity. Weighted descriptive statistics, multivariate regression models, and sensitivity analysis were used to examine the associations.
RESULTS: CHD-COPD co-morbidity prevalence showed no statistically significant increase from 2020 to 2024; although the estimated linear trend was positive, it did not reach statistical significance (OR per 1-year increase = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.997-1.08; p = 0.072). Age, sex, body mass index, race/ethnicity, geographical region, smoking status, insurance status, income, and educational attainment were strong independent predictors of CHD-COPD co-morbidity. Older age (aOR: 1.004; 95% CI: 1.003-1.004, p < 0.0001) was independently associated with higher odds; current and former smokers had approximately 5-6 times higher odds of CHD-COPD co-morbidity.
CONCLUSION: CHD-COPD co-morbidity is a rare but clinically significant condition, with a stable adjusted prevalence of approximately 0.35%-0.43% annually among United States adults from 2020 to 2024. Smoking, older age, male sex, lower income, and Southern residence were the strongest independent predictors of CHD-COPD co-morbidity. These findings underscore the need for integrated, sociodemographically targeted prevention and chronic-disease management strategies addressing shared cardiopulmonary risk factors, particularly tobacco use, across vulnerable populations.
PMID:42428747 | PMC:PMC13346163 | DOI:10.3389/fepid.2026.1840095