Association between leisure-time physical activity and stroke in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A population-based study

Abstract

Background

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. It remains unclear whether chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increases the risk of stroke. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between COPD and stroke. As physical activity may prevent strokes, we examined whether leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) moderates stroke risk in COPD patients.

Methods

13,524 participants from the 2009-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We used the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) questionnaire to obtain self-reported data from LTPA. We used a binary logistic regression model to analyze the association between LTPA, COPD, and stroke risk.

Results

The prevalence of COPD in the present study was 5.54%. The risk of stroke in COPD patients is 1.84 times higher than that in those without COPD, with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI) of 1.32,2.56 and P < 0.001. A lower stroke risk was observed in COPD patients who adhered to LTPA than those who did not (OR, 0.50; 95%CI, 0.26, 0.95; P = 0.03). As shown by the restricted cubic spline (RCS), the duration of LTPA in COPD patients was inversely related to the risk of stroke, which decreased as the duration of weekly LTPA increased.

Conclusion

COPD is positively associated with stroke risk. LTPA reduces the risk of stroke in patients with COPD, suggesting that it may be a promising measure for preventing stroke in this population.