Trends and Disparities for Cardiovascular‐Related Deaths With Underlying Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Retrospective 1999–2020 Analysis of CDC WONDER Data

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease with increasing recognition of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as a major contributor to mortality. National data on cardiovascular deaths among individuals with IPF remains limited, and the impact of various disparities is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine trends in the United States mortality rate involving cardiovascular deaths and pre‐existing pulmonary fibrosis. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study conducted by gathering mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide‐Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) publicly available database between the years 1999 and 2020. Death certificate data was extrapolated in this database, from which the subset of pulmonary fibrosis patients (ICD‐10 J84.1) were analyzed for cardiovascular‐related deaths (I00‐I99). Statistical analysis was then conducted via the Joinpoint regression software. Results There were 47,814 cardiovascular‐related deaths with underlying pulmonary fibrosis between 1999 and 2000. The overall age‐adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) per 100,000 increased from 59.1 in 1999 to 134.5 in 2020 (Annual percent change [APC] = 3.37%, p < 10⁻⁶). Males had a higher AAMR and more pronounced increase than females (APC male = 4.09%, p < 10⁻⁶; APC female = 1.63%, p = 0.056). White individuals had the highest AAMR with the steeper upward mortality trend. Conclusions Cardiovascular deaths with underlying pulmonary fibrosis have consistently increased from 1999 to 2020, highlighting the urgent need for preventative techniques and the necessity for additional targeted public health interventions based on demographic disparities.