Coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prevalence and temporal trends among United States adults: a national population-based study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are two independent leading causes of morbidity and death, with co-existence contributing substantially to morbidity and deaths among aging populations. Despite growing evidence on the impact of COPD-CVD co-existence, little is known about COPD-CHD co-morbidity, as other previous studies mostly examine CVD as a single aggregated health outcome, obscuring disease-specific trajectories. Objective: To assess 5-year national trends and sociodemographic disparities in the prevalence of coexisting CHD-COPD co-morbidity. Methods: Using the 2020-2024 National Health Interview Survey Integrated Public Use Microdata Series adults' dataset, we estimated the national prevalence of CHD-COPD co-morbidity. Weighted descriptive statistics, multivariate regression models, and sensitivity analysis were used to examine the associations. Results: CHD-COPD co-morbidity prevalence showed no statistically significant increase from 2020 to 2024; although the estimated linear trend was positive, it did not reach statistical significance (OR per 1-year increase = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.997-1.08; Conclusion: CHD-COPD co-morbidity is a rare but clinically significant condition, with a stable adjusted prevalence of approximately 0.35%-0.43% annually among United States adults from 2020 to 2024. Smoking, older age, male sex, lower income, and Southern residence were the strongest independent predictors of CHD-COPD co-morbidity. These findings underscore the need for integrated, sociodemographically targeted prevention and chronic-disease management strategies addressing shared cardiopulmonary risk factors, particularly tobacco use, across vulnerable populations.