Incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in people with HIV, their parents and siblings in Denmark.

Background People with HIV (PWH) may be at increased risk of several respiratory syndromes including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In matched cohort studies, we examined risk factors for COPD in PWH, their parents and siblings compared with population controls. Methods Using data from national registries, competing risk regression models were constructed and used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for COPD. We evaluated the effect of HIV characteristics, smoking and educational attainment on COPD incidence in PWH. Results A total of 226 PWH and 1029 population controls were diagnosed with COPD during 63,661 and 562,171 person years of follow up. PWH had increased risk of being diagnosed with COPD compared to controls (aHR 2.02 [95%CI: 1.75-2.33]). Parents and siblings of PWH were also more likely to be diagnosed with COPD compared to controls. CD4+ T-cell counts were not associated with COPD, but both unsuppressed viral replication, smoking status and educational attainment were associated with COPD in PWH. No COPD diagnoses were registered in PWH with high educational attainment and absence of smoking. Conclusions PWH have an increased risk of being diagnosed with COPD, as have their parents and siblings. This seems to be driven primarily by smoking and low socioeconomic status.