Bird ownership and pulmonary outcomes apart from hypersensitivity pneumonitis in European older adults

Background

Exposure to birds has been linked with several lung pathologies and especially hypersensitivity pneumonitis, but discordant literature exist on the potential effects of this exposure on other respiratory pathologies.

Aim

This study aims to examine the associations between bird ownership and asthma, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in older European adults.

Methods

A total of 28,109 participants from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe were employed and analyzed with multivariate logistic regressions.

Results

No association was found with asthma or lung cancer. Bird ownership increased the odds for COPD diagnosis (OR=1.30; 95 % CI: 1.12–1.51) and more so in males (OR=1.53; 95 % CI: 1.25–1.87) after adjustment for demographic, respiratory, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors. Male bird owners who smoke had an even more increased risk compared to non-smokers, as did those who lived in multi-person households compared to those living alone.

Conclusion: Bird ownership may be positively associated with COPD in older European males.