The incidence of clinically diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with spondyloarthritis compared to matched population-based references: a register-based study
- 1Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Rheumatology, Lund University, Jan Waldenströms Gata 1B, 205 02 Malmö, Sweden
Abstract
Introduction/Objective: To estimate and compare the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) to matched population-based references.
Methods: Patients with ≥ 1 SpA-diagnosis from an outpatient department of rheumatology/internal medicine (≥ 17 years at diagnosis) between January 1, 2000, and June 30, 2005, were identified in a regional healthcare register. From the same register, five controls without SpA-diagnosis were matched to each SpA-case on age at the first ever SpA-diagnosis for the case, municipality of residence at this time, and sex. SpA-cases and controls were followed from Jan 1, 2006, until first occurrence of either COPD (diagnosed in primary or secondary inpatient/outpatient care), rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, moving from the region, death, or Dec 31, 2018. The incidence rates of COPD in SpA-cases and controls, overall and by age-groups and sex, and the corresponding incidence rate ratios, were estimated.
Results: A total of 1083/4950 SpA-cases and controls were followed in the present study for 11,790.9/58,876.4 person-years, with 38/220 incident COPD-cases respectively. The estimated incidence of COPD in SpA-cases was 3.22 (95% CI 2.28–4.42) per 1000 person-years, with an incidence rate ratio compared to controls of 0.86 (95% CI 0.59–1.22). Similarly, there were no significant differences in the incidence of COPD in patients with SpA compared to controls in any age group and in both sexes.
Conclusions: In this register-based cohort study the incidence of COPD in patients with SpA was similar to that in matched population-based references, overall and after stratification for sex and age-groups.
Key Points
• Spondyloarthritis (SpA) has been associated with comorbidities, e.g. cardiovascular disease. However, evidence regarding the relation between SpA and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is limited.
• To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the incidence of COPD in a population-based cohort of patients with SpA in general and compare it to the background population.
• Using a regional register of primary and specialized care, we found no difference in COPD incidence between those diagnosed with SpA and matched population-based references, overall and after stratification for sex and age group.
• The results of the present study suggest that there may not be an association between SpA and COPD. However, further studies in other countries and settings are needed.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-026-08382-7.
Related
- Sleeve gastrectomy is associated with a higher incidence of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis compared to gastric bypass
- Tiotropium and clinically important deterioration in mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a post hoc win ratio analysis of the Tie-COPD study.
- Upper cervical spinal cord morphometric charts: from population references to individualized clinical assessment
- Omental wrapping combined with external pancreatic drainage is associated with a lower incidence of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a retrospective study.
- Size Matters: A Large-Scale, Real-World Dataset of Smartphone-Based Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening in the General Population
BibTeX
@article{exarchou2026incidence,
title = {{The incidence of clinically diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with spondyloarthritis compared to matched population-based references: a register-based study}},
author = {Sofia Exarchou and Ankita Sharma and Petros Zamout and Carl Turesson},
journal = {Clinical Rheumatology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1007/s10067-026-08382-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-026-08382-7},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The incidence of clinically diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with spondyloarthritis compared to matched population-based references: a register-based study
AU - Sofia Exarchou
AU - Ankita Sharma
AU - Petros Zamout
AU - Carl Turesson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/02
JO - Clinical Rheumatology
DO - 10.1007/s10067-026-08382-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-026-08382-7
AB - Introduction/Objective: To estimate and compare the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) to matched population-based references. Methods: Patients with ≥ 1 SpA-diagnosis from an outpatient department of rheumatology/internal medicine (≥ 17 years at diagnosis) between January 1, 2000, and June 30, 2005, were identified in a regional healthcare register. From the same register, five controls without SpA-diagnosis were matched to each SpA-case on age at the first ever SpA-diagnosis for the case, municipality of residence at this time, and sex. SpA-cases and controls were followed from Jan 1, 2006, until first occurrence of either COPD (diagnosed in primary or secondary inpatient/outpatient care), rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, moving from the region, death, or Dec 31, 2018. The incidence rates of COPD in SpA-cases and controls, overall and by age-groups and sex, and the corresponding incidence rate ratios, were estimated. Results: A total of 1083/4950 SpA-cases and controls were followed in the present study for 11,790.9/58,876.4 person-years, with 38/220 incident COPD-cases respectively. The estimated incidence of COPD in SpA-cases was 3.22 (95% CI 2.28–4.42) per 1000 person-years, with an incidence rate ratio compared to controls of 0.86 (95% CI 0.59–1.22). Similarly, there were no significant differences in the incidence of COPD in patients with SpA compared to controls in any age group and in both sexes. Conclusions: In this register-based cohort study the incidence of COPD in patients with SpA was similar to that in matched population-based references, overall and after stratification for sex and age-groups. Key Points • Spondyloarthritis (SpA) has been associated with comorbidities, e.g. cardiovascular disease. However, evidence regarding the relation between SpA and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is limited. • To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the incidence of COPD in a population-based cohort of patients with SpA in general and compare it to the background population. • Using a regional register of primary and specialized care, we found no difference in COPD incidence between those diagnosed with SpA and matched population-based references, overall and after stratification for sex and age group. • The results of the present study suggest that there may not be an association between SpA and COPD. However, further studies in other countries and settings are needed. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-026-08382-7.
SN - 0770-3198
SN - 1434-9949
ER -