New approach to COPD focuses on socioeconomic factors and comorbidities

Health care providers treating people with COPD also need to focus on the person’s socioeconomic factors, along with considering their additional health conditions or comorbidities, according to a new article. The article is published in the September 2024 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory lung disease, comprising several conditions, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and can be caused by genetics and irritants like smoke and pollution.

Research has linked poverty to COPD and its related comorbidities, which for many individuals with COPD includes cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and metabolic disorders like diabetes.

This new editorial provides evidence on the need to classify COPD as a syndemic-;two (or more) diseases within specific populations with common social factors that increase disease burden. The authors suggest that a syndemic theory approach to COPD would encourage more holistic care, would help identify and address socioeconomic factors that contribute to a person’s risk of developing COPD, and would demonstrate the need to actively enroll research participants from minority populations.

Syndemic theory examines why health and social issues accumulate in particular populations. Applying this framework to COPD would encourage more points of intervention to help address risk factors for COPD like exposure to second-hand smoke, air pollution and poor nutrition, which are associated with marginalization and lower socioeconomic status. By acknowledging these connections between chronic diseases, we can focus on value-based collaborative care to address these health inequities and increase the presence of people from poor and minority communities in research.”

Sophia A. Hayes, M.D., M.S., a pulmonary and critical care clinical and research fellow at the University of Washington and lead author of the article