COPD and incident cardiovascular disease hospitalizations and mortality: Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program.

Study Objectives: To determine the relationship between diagnosed and treated COPD and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) hospitalization and mortality.

Design: Retrospective matched cohort study.

Setting: Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program (KPNC), a comprehensive prepaid integrated health-care system.

Cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Saskatchewan Canada cardiovascular disease in COPD patients.

Purpose: To measure prevalence, incidence, and mortality of cardiovascular outcomes among persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to assess the extent these outcomes differ from persons without COPD.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study in longitudinal health care databases maintained by the government of Saskatchewan, Canada. Subjects were persons age 40 years or older who were diagnosed with COPD during 1997-2000 and who received two or more prescriptions for bronchodilators within 6 months of diagnosis.