Trends in the prevalence and incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults aged ≥50 years in the United States, 2000–2020

Background

Understanding the trends of the prevalence and incidence rate of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is vital for improving the control and prevention of COPD. We aimed to examine the trends in the prevalence and incidence rate of COPD among adults aged 50 years or older in the United States during 2000–2020.

Methods

Utilizing data from the Health and Retirement Study, we analyzed COPD prevalence across survey waves and calculated COPD incidence rates between consecutive interview waves, stratified by gender and race. We employed joinpoint regression models to investigate trends in COPD prevalence and incidence.

Results

The individuals reporting COPD are more likely to be women and Caucasians. The age-adjusted prevalence of COPD among adults aged 50 years and over showed an increasing trend throughout the study period, spanning from 9.02% in 2000 to 9.88% in 2020 (average biennial percent change [ABPC] = 0.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.10, 0.71; p = 0.01). The age-adjusted incidence rate of COPD among adults aged 50 and over showed a decreasing trend throughout the study period 1031.1 per 100,000 person-years in 2000 to 700.5 per 100,000 person-years in 2020 (ABPC = −1.63, 95% CI: −2.88, −0.36; p = 0.02).

Conclusion

Our findings indicate a rising prevalence of COPD among older adults in the United States since 2000, while the incidence rate of COPD has shown a declining trend.