COPD and Comorbidities: Relating Mechanisms and Treatment

Abstract

Despite being a disease with the constantly rising social burden and mortality, COPD is also associated with a number of other conditions known as comorbidities. COPD and other diseases often share similar risk factors, such as smoking and aging, which leads to increased prevalence of comorbidities. The key pathogenic mechanisms of COPD are chronic inflammation and oxidative stress and they also contribute significantly to the development of accompanying diseases. Through complex interactions, COPD increases the risk for certain comorbidities and they, in turn, have a negative impact on health status and contribute to mortality in COPD patients. Proper treatment of comorbidities may have a beneficial effect on COPD natural course and progression. Here we review the prevalence of the most common comorbidities of COPD; their interrelating mechanism and the current advances of the treatment in terms of co-existence.