Relationship between arterial stiffness and pulmonary artery pressure in patients with COPD

Purpose: By impacting both the vascular bed and the airways, endothelial damage brought on by chronic inflammation in COPD may hasten the onset of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The purpose of the study that was presented was to look into the connection between arterial stiffness and the onset and intensity of pulmonary hypertension in COPD. Materials and Methodsː Data from patients who were diagnosed with COPD between 2016 and 2022 served as the basis for this retrospective investigation. Clinical, radiologic, pulmonary function, and sociodemographic information were documented. Measurements of arterial stiffness were conducted using data from the literature. Based on the results of echocardiogram (ECHO), patients were split into two groups: those with and without high systolic pulmonary artery pressure (es_PAP). The pertinent data were then examined. Resultsː The mean age of the 224 COPD patients in our study was 60.45 ± 9.59 years, and 89.3% of them were male. In our investigation, the prevalence of es_PAP was 41.5%. 9.4% of patients passed away. es_PAP was found to be connected with a mean age of 64.60 years and older, living alone, frequent hospitalization, and employment status. Additionally, it is discovered that mean 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance of 340 meters or less, mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.45 or less, mean waist circumference of 94 cm or less, mean BODE score of 3.66 or more, mean depression score of 4.73 or more, and stage 3–4 Medical Research Council (MRC) levelwas linked to es_PAP. Conclusionː Although arterial stiffness, the severity of COPD, and es_PAP did not significantly correlate in our study, the conditions and risk factors that we did discover to be linked to es_PAP should be regularly monitored and well managed.