PhD defence Filip J.J. Triest

Keywords: COPD, Multimorbidity, Comorbidity, Aging

"Unraveling comorbidities in COPD"

Patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) often suffer from multiple undiagnosed chronic diseases which occur in specific patterns. However, increased risk for cardiovascular disease in people with obstructive lung function in the general population, can be attributed to known cardiovascular risk factors such as aging and smoking history. In contrast to obstructive lung function, a lung function with a decrease in the forced expiratory volume does independently predict the presence of cardiovascular disease.  A psychological cluster with anxiety and depression, and a cachectic cluster with low body weight and muscle mass are specifically recognizable disease clusters in patients with COPD. Accelerated biological aging does not importantly contribute to the clustering of chronic diseases or increased cardiovascular risk in COPD.

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