The relationship between reduced lung function and cardiovascular mortality: a population-based study and a systematic review of the literature.
OBJECTIVE
Conditions that give rise to reduced lung function are frequently associated with low-grade systemic inflammation, which may lead to poor cardiovascular outcomes. We sought to determine the relationship between reduced FEV1 and cardiovascular mortality, independent of smoking.


METHODS
Longitudinal population-based study and a meta-analysis of literature.


METHODS
Representative sample of the general population.


METHODS
Participants of the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study who were 40 to 60 years of age at baseline assessment (n = 1,861).


RESULTS
We compared the risk of cardiovascular mortality across quintiles of FEV1. Individuals in the lowest FEV1 quintile had the highest risk of cardiovascular mortality (relative risk [RR], 3.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.54 to 7.34). Compared to FEV1 quintile 1, individuals in quintile 5 had a fivefold increase in the risk of death from ischemic heart disease (RR, 5.65; 95% CI, 2.26 to 14.13). We also performed a systematic review of large cohort studies (> 500 participants) that reported on the relationship between FEV1 and cardiovascular mortality (12 studies; n = 83,880 participants). Compared to participants in the highest FEV1 category, those with reduced FEV1 had a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality (pooled RR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.56 to 1.97).


CONCLUSIONS
There is strong epidemiologic evidence to indicate that reduced FEV1 is a marker for cardiovascular mortality independent of age, gender, and smoking history.
Sin
Don D
DD
Department of Medicine, Respiratory Division, University of British Columbia, and The James Hogg iCAPTURE Center for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, St. Paul's Hospital, Room 368A, 1081 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada. dsin@mrl.ubc.ca
Wu
LieLing
L
Man
S F Paul
SF
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013147:Spirometry; D016019:Survival Analysis