Identifying Early COPD Risk Factors in Hispanic, Latinx Populations

Brigham and Women’s researchers conducted a study to identify important risk factors for early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among Hispanic and Latino populations in the United States.  

COPD is a progressive disorder that will often go undiagnosed until a patient is over 60 years old and has significant airflow obstruction. At that stage, it can be challenging to manage and treat the conditions. Several studies have examined risk factors to determine those at risk for COPD.

However, studies have primarily focused on White and older populations, creating health disparities. By leveraging data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), researchers studied Hispanic and Latinx population health risks for COPD. The team identified asthma as the highest risk factor, followed by smoking and chronic sinusitis.

“Hispanics/Latinos are the largest and youngest minority in the US, making up 18 percent of the population in 2018,” corresponding author Alejandro Diaz, MD, MPH, said in a press release.

“Nevertheless, prevalence and risk factors for early COPD among this population have not been identified, so we set out to do just that in this understudied population.”

The research team used data from the HCHS/SOL, a population-based study of four US communities that enrolled self-identified Hispanic/Latino men and women aged 18-74 from randomly selected households. For the analysis, the researchers focused on patients between 18 and 49 who completed a respiratory questionnaire and spirometry.

Through the data, researchers discovered 524 respondents met the criteria for early COPD. After using a model to adjust for variables, the team identified asthma, smoking, and chronic sinusitis as risk factors of early COPD.

The prevalence of early COPD among the population was 7.6 percent and was consistent across age groups.

“This suggests that younger Hispanics/Latinos seem to be similarly susceptible to the disease and supports the notion for the need to comprehensibly understand the disease in younger people,” said Diaz.

The researchers noted the associations they uncovered should be further investigated, including the relationship between chronic sinusitis and COPD. The two conditions share symptoms such as coughing and sputum production. Smoking was also a risk factor for early COPD, even though US Hispanic/Latinx populations typically have lower smoking rates than other US populations.

Dias also pointed out that a critical public health measure to reduce early COPD risk is smoking cessation/tobacco treatment.

“Efforts to increase awareness and access to treatment programs are critical,” he said. “These efforts include culturally sensitive and bilingual programs about education, counseling, and therapies for tobacco treatment. Also, measures to reduce exposure to respiratory hazards at work — such as use of masks and avoidance of irritating cleaning products — are essential in this population.”