LAUSR

RATIONALE In predominantly white populations, early COPD (i.e., COPD in people under 50 years of age) has been linked to higher hospitalization rates and mortality; however, the prevalence, risk factors, and population attributable risk (PAR) of early COPD remain to be determined in non-white populations. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the prevalence, risk factors, and PARs of early COPD among Hispanics/Latinos, the largest US minority. METHODS We used baseline data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, a population-based probability sample of 16,415 Hispanics/Latinos aged 18-74 years. Participants <50 years of age were included in this analysis (N=7,565). Early COPD was defined as forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity ratio less than lower limit of normal. We used survey logistic regression-conditional marginal analysis to identify risk factors for and to estimate the prevalence of early COPD. Then, the risk factors identified were used to estimate PAR. RESULTS 546 participants met the criteria for early COPD. The sex- and age-adjusted prevalence of early COPD was 7.7% [95% Confidence interval 6.9 - 8.6]. Out of 17 factors used in the multivariable analysis, asthma (odds ratio (OR) 3.45 [2.66 - 4.48]), smoking status (ever vs. never, OR 1.71 [1.31 - 2.22]), and chronic sinusitis (OR 1.63 [1.05 - 2.55]) were significantly associated with increased odds of early COPD. The mean PAR for asthma, smoking status, and chronic sinusitis was 26.5% [22.2 - 30.4], 21.4% [16.5 - 26.1], and 6.7% [4.2 - 9.3] respectively. While PAR for asthma was higher in women than men (35.6% vs. 19.4%), the opposite was observed for smoking status (men, 24% vs. women, 17%) and chronic sinusitis (men, 8.5% vs. women, 4.7%). CONCLUSION Among US Latinos, asthma is one of the most important risk factors for early COPD, followed by smoking and chronic sinusitis.