Post-Exacerbation Cardiovascular Risk

In the first 10 days, severe exacerbations had a higher adjusted hazard ratio than moderate exacerbations. The highest adjusted risk for any severe cardiovascular event occurred in the first 10 days after COPD exacerbation. The adjusted hazard ratio for any severe cardiovascular event in the first 10 days after any COPD exacerbation was 10.00. Overall severe cardiovascular risk declined over time but remained significantly elevated through 90 days after exacerbation. Severe cardiovascular event rates were higher after COPD exacerbations than during unexposed periods. Some individual cardiovascular outcomes remained elevated longer than the overall 90-day window.