COPD patients at higher risk for future functional gastrointestinal disorders: Study

Taiwan: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are at a higher risk for all three subtypes of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs): gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and functional dyspepsia, says a recent study. 

The nationwide population-based study published in the journal Respiratory Medicine was conducted by Tzuo-Yun Lan, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, and colleagues with an objective to determine the association between COPD and future development of FGIDs. 

For this purpose, the researchers used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The COPD cohort consisted of 4107 patients with COPD between 2000 and 2005. 12,321 age- and gender-matched patients without COPD were randomly selected for a comparison cohort. Tracking of the two cohorts was done for 5 years and observed for FGIDs occurrence. The results were validated using the operational definition of COPD in the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. The validation study confirmed the accuracy of definitions of COPD (83.5% sensitivity).