Asthma and increased risk of myocardial infarction and mortality among hypertensive Korean patients

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of asthma on cardiovascular disease incidence in patients with hypertension. A total of 639,784 patients with hypertension from the Korea National Health Insurance Service database were included, of whom 62,517 had history of asthma after propensity score matching. The risks of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were assessed according to the presence of asthma, long-acting beta 2-agonist (LABA) inhaler usage, and/or systemic corticosteroid usage for up to 11 years. In addition, whether these risks were modified by average blood pressure (BP) levels during the follow-up period was examined. Asthma was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.203; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.165-1.241) and MI (HR, 1.244; 95% CI, 1.182-1.310) but not the risk of stroke or ESRD. LABA inhaler usage was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and MI, and systemic corticosteroids usage showed a higher risk of ESRD as well as all-cause mortality and MI among hypertensive patients with asthma. Compared to patients without asthma, there was a graded increase in the risk of all-cause mortality and MI in those with asthma without LABA inhaler/systemic corticosteroid usage and in those with asthma with LABA inhaler/systemic corticosteroid usage. These associations were not significantly modified by BP levels. This nationwide population-based study supports that asthma may be a clinical factor that increases the risk of poor outcomes in patients with hypertension.