Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and rheumatoid arthritis: severe exacerbations, pneumonia, and death in a population-based cohort
Authors' conclusion
The increased risk of pneumonia associated with RA may be attributed to immunosuppression.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with hospital-based outpatient follow-up for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Danish COPD registry2,033 (3.5%) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Participants
- 58,655 patients
- Exposure
- COPD with RA vs COPD alone
- RA and COPDn = 2,033
- Outcome
- Hospitalisation for acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD), hospitalisation for pneumonia, and death
- Follow-up
- 12 months after first outpatient COPD contact
Methodological detailsregistry-based (Danish COPD registry, National Health Registries), inverse probability of treatment (IPT) weighting, Cox proportional hazards regression
- Registry-based (Danish COPD registry, National Health Registries)
- Inverse probability of treatment (IPT) weighting
- Cox proportional hazards regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Hospitalisation for AECOPD, pneumonia and death · 12 months
RA and COPD vs COPD aloneHazard ratio (95% CI)
Hospitalisation with AECOPD; similar risk
1.004(0.89–1.13)
Death; similar risk
1.13(0.98–1.30)
Hospitalisation for pneumonia; increased risk
1.26(1.11–1.42)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and rheumatoid arthritis: severe exacerbations, pneumonia, and death in a population-based cohort. Scand J Rheumatol. Published 16 February 2026. doi:10.
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