Association of lung function with cardiovascular risk: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: The potential effects of pulmonary dysfunction on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are receiving attention. We aimed to investigate and quantify the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between lung function and overall cardiovascular risk among Chinese general population. METHODS: We studied 4019 participants from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort, with a follow-up of 3 years. A multivariable risk algorithm generated from the Framingham study was used to calculate individuals’ overall cardiovascular risk i.e. 10-Year CVD Risk, which was further classified into 2 categories: low (< 10%) and high (≥10%) CVD risk. General linear model and logistic regression model were separately used to assess the associations of lung function with continuous and dichotomous 10-Year CVD Risk. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, each 5% decrease in FEV(1)/FVC was associated with a 0.47% increase in 10-Year CVD Risk (P < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for the prevalence of high CVD risk (10-Year CVD Risk≥10%) was 1.12 (1.07, 1.17) corresponding to each 5% decrease in FEV(1)/FVC. The OR (95% CI) for high CVD risk in the lowest group of FEV(1)/FVC (< 70% i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]) was 2.37 (1.43, 3.91) when compared with the highest group. Longitudinally, the adjusted risk ratio (RR) (95% CI) for the incidence of high CVD risk was 1.14 (1.03, 1.25) with each 5% decrease in baseline FEV(1)/FVC. Compared with the highest group of FEV(1)/FVC, the RR (95% CI) for high CVD risk in the lowest group (COPD) was 4.06 (1.46, 11.26). Analyses of 10-Year CVD Risk with FVC or FEV(1) showed similar trends and significant associations (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Reduced lung function was cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with increased cardiovascular risk in Chinese general population. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12931-018-0920-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.