Low Life Essential 8 Score as a Risk Factor for Long-Term Mortality in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Study Based on the Analysis of NHANES Data from 2007 to 2012.

Aims: The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to examine the association of Life Essential 8 (LE8), the recently updated algorithm for quantifying cardiovascular health (CVH) by the American Heart Association (AHA), with the risk of mortality in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients.

Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2012 and the National Death Index mortality data up to December 31, 2019, were included in this cohort analysis. To characterize the relationship between LE8 and CVD and all-cause mortality as well as assess any potential nonlinear relationships, the limited cubic spline mixed with the Cox proportional hazards model was used.

Results: The final analysis included 785 subjects. The weighted mean age of the study population was 59 years, and 479 were male. In the overall population, every 10-point increase in the LE8 score was individuals with associated with reduced risks of 4% for CVD mortality; moderate CVH had a 23% lower risk of COPD, while high CVH was linked to a 40% lower risk compared to low CVH. Among the COPD individuals, every 10-point increase in the LE8 score was associated with reduced risks of 4% for all-cause mortality,8% for CLRD mortality, and 12% for cancer mortality.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that low levels of LE8 were associated with increased risks of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in COPD individuals.