# Shanghai cohort of 32,236 adults: COPD tied to odds ratio 2.08 for infection-related hospitalisation

- Published: 2026-11-13 14:18 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, infection-related hospitalisation, respiratory infections, non-respiratory infections, community-based cohort, suburban Shanghai, incidence density, negative binomial hurdle model, BMC Pulmonary Medicine
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-831a363659d4f7ec7a81ec8c_shanghai_cohort_of/

**In a population-based cohort in suburban Shanghai, COPD was associated with more infection-related hospitalisations, including non-respiratory infections, not only respiratory ones.**

![Shanghai cohort of 32,236 adults: COPD tied to odds ratio 2.08 for infection-related hospitalisation](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/9e6142266905b733.jpg)
*LeRoy Woodson, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain*

A population-based cohort study of adults aged 40 years and older in suburban Shanghai examined infections and infection-related hospitalisation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The results were published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine. The cohort included 32,236 participants followed for 250,397 person-years, and 4,277 of them (13.3%) had COPD [1].

Infections are a major contributor to illness and hospitalisation in COPD. According to the authors, population-based evidence on infection-related hospitalisation, particularly beyond respiratory infections, has been limited.

## Study design and methods

COPD was ascertained from electronic medical records and baseline surveys. Infection events were identified in an integrated healthcare information system using ICD-10 codes. Incidence densities were calculated per 1,000 person-years [1].

Total infections were analysed with negative binomial regression. For infection-related hospitalisations the authors used negative binomial hurdle models, which account for overdispersion and an excess of zeros.

## Infection and hospitalisation results

After multivariable adjustment, COPD was associated with a higher incidence density of total infections (IRR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.71–1.82) [1].

COPD was also associated with increased odds of infection-related hospitalisation (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.87–2.31). For respiratory infections the odds ratio was 2.68 (95% CI: 2.36–3.05). For non-respiratory infections it was 1.43 (95% CI: 1.22–1.66), so the association was weaker but present [1].

Among participants with at least one infection-related hospitalisation, COPD was associated with a higher hospitalisation frequency for overall infection (IRR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.37–2.09). For respiratory infection the ratio was 2.10 (95% CI: 1.60–2.74) [1].

The authors concluded that COPD is associated with an increased risk of infection-related hospitalisation in a community-based cohort, and that the association extends beyond respiratory infections. They stated that infection prevention should be integrated into comprehensive COPD management. The study is observational and reports associations.

## Sources

1. [BMC Pulmonary Medicine](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-026-04945-1)
2. [bioengineer.org](https://bioengineer.org/copd-linked-to-increased-risk-of-infection-related-hospitalisations)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-831a363659d4f7ec7a81ec8c_shanghai_cohort_of/