Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease Increased in Patients With Asthma

Patients with asthma have a 48% increased risk for ischemic heart disease (IHD) compared with patients without asthma, according to study results presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting, held from November 10 to 14, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Building upon previous research showing females with adult-onset asthma had a greater risk for IHD, researchers examined the correlation between IHD and asthma severity classifications. Data were obtained from patients in the Colorado All Payers Claims database from January 2017 to June 2020. A patient’s asthma and IHD diagnoses were based on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s clinical classifications software grouping systems for International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic codes. Researchers classified asthma severity as mild, moderate, or severe persistent according to the ICD-10. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict associations for asthma and asthma severity subgroups with IHD.

A total of 3,841,761 patients (0 to 65 years of age or older; 54% female) were included, of whom 209,351 had a diagnosis of asthma. The association between asthma and a diagnosis of IHD resulted in an odds ratio (OR) of 1.477 (1.420-1.536; P <.0001), after controlling for age and sex.

Researchers observed the following associations with IHD for asthma severity subgroups: mild (OR, 0.957 [0.906-1.010]; P =.2); moderate (OR, 1.552 [1.456-1.655]; P <.0001); and severe (OR, 2.509 [2.264-2.781]; P <.0001).

Researchers concluded that the risk for IHD was 48% higher in patients with asthma, but added that “Subgroup analysis revealed significantly increased risk for IHD in patients diagnosed with moderate or severe persistent asthma but not in those with mild persistent asthma.”

This article originally appeared on Pulmonology Advisor.