Hospitalizations and Mortality in the Lung Health Study

• Published in: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine Vol. 166; no. 3; pp. 333 - 339
• Main Authors: Anthonisen, Nicholas R, Connett, John E, Enright, Paul L, Manfreda, Jure
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Am Thoracic Soc 01.08.2002; American Lung Association
• Subjects: Administration, Inhalation; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Bronchodilator Agents - administration & dosage; Bronchodilator Agents - therapeutic use; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Status; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Ipratropium - administration & dosage; Ipratropium - therapeutic use; Lung Diseases - complications; Lung Diseases - drug therapy; Lung Diseases - mortality; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Respiratory Function Tests; Respiratory system; Smoking Cessation; Time Factors; Human; Prognosis; Respiratory disease; Bronchodilator; Treatment efficiency; Mortality; Tobacco smoking; Cardiovascular disease; Hospitalization; Long term; Morbidity; Five year survival; Toxicology; Chemotherapy; Treatment; Shutdown; Risk factor; Complication
• ISSN: 1073-449X; 1535-4970
• DOI: 10.1164/rccm.2110093

This report deals with deaths and hospitalizations during the 5-year Lung Health Study, as documented by examination of appropriate records. There were 149 deaths (2.5%) during the study, caused largely by lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, particularly coronary heart disease. A total of 12.8% of participants were hospitalized, with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and nonmalignant respiratory disease accounting for 75% of hospitalizations. There were no significant differences among the original treatment groups for all-cause mortality, lung cancer, or hospitalizations for respiratory disease. Deaths and hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease were more common in the smoking intervention plus Atrovent inhaler (SI-A) group, which received ipratropium bromide, than in the smoking intervention plus placebo inhaler (SI-P) group, which received placebo, and the differences approached statistical significance. However, we were unable to find a dose effect, in that differences were not related to self-reported inhaler compliance. In the SI-A group, nine participants were hospitalized for supraventricular tachycardia as compared with two in the SI-P group, and SI-A participants with this condition were unusually compliant with their inhaled medication. When all participants were considered and smoking status considered as a time-dependent covariate, smoking cessation was associated with significant reductions in fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease.