Association between the prevalence of obstructive lung disease and the use of aspirin in a diabetic population.

BACKGROUND

Many diabetic patients take a daily low-dose of aspirin because they are two to three times more likely to suffer from heart attacks and strokes, but its role in obstructive lung diseases is less clear.

METHODS

A total of 1,003 subjects in community practice settings were interviewed at home. Patients self-reported their personal and clinical characteristics, including any history of obstructive lung disease (including COPD or asthma). Current medications were obtained by the direct observation of medication containers. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the interviewed subjects to assess for a possible association between obstructive lung disease history and the use of aspirin.

RESULTS

In a multivariate logistic regression model, a history of obstructive lung disease was significantly associated with the use of aspirin even after correcting for potential confounders, including gender, low income (<USD 30,000/year), number of comorbidities, number of medications, cigarette smoking, and alcohol problems (adjusted odds ratio = 0.67, = 0.03, 95% confidence interval = 0.47, 0.97). The opposite was found with aspirin and that for diabetic individuals that use insulin. A secondary analysis discovered a significant interaction between aspirin use and insulin: aspirin was associated with lower rates of lung disease except among those taking both drugs where the prevalence is significantly higher.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest a negative correlation between the use of aspirin and obstructive lung disease prevalence in patients with diabetes but not for those that use insulin. Further studies are required to determine if this association is causal.