Abstract

Objective: To determine whether the presence of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and reduction of lung function parameters were predictors of mortality in a cohort. Materials/Patients and Methods: Population based cohorts were followed in Montevideo, Santiago and Sao Paulo during 5, 6 and 9 years, respectively. Outcomes included all-cause, cardiovascular, respiratory and cancer mortality; exposures were COPD, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). Cox regression was used for analyses. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, receiver operator characteristics curves and Youden's index were calculated. Results: Main causes of death were cardiovascular, respiratory and cancer. Baseline COPD was associated with overall mortality (HR = 1.43 for FEV1/FVC