COPD was associated with a significantly higher frequency of pulmonary hypertension compared to non-COPD controls (33.3% vs. 0%), with prevalence increasing alongside airflow limitation severity.
Cross-Sectional (n=120)
No
Are echocardiographic changes more frequent in patients with COPD compared to non-COPD controls, and do they correlate with the severity of airflow limitation?
Patients with COPD exhibit significantly higher rates of echocardiographic abnormalities, including right ventricular dilation and pulmonary hypertension, which correlate with the severity of airflow limitation.
Absolute Event Rate: 33.3% vs 0%
p-value: p=0.0004
AIM: To compare the frequency of echocardiographic changes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and non-COPD controls and to assess their relation to the level of airflow limitation. METHODS: Study population included 120 subjects divided into two groups. Group 1 included 60 patients with COPD (52 male and 8 females, aged 40 to 80 years) initially diagnosed according to the actual recommendations. Group 2 included 60 subjects in whom COPD was excluded serving as a control. The study protocol consisted of completion of a questionnaire, pulmonary evaluation (dyspnea severity assessment, baseline and post-bronchodilator spirometry, gas analyses, and chest X-ray) and two dimensional (2D) Doppler echocardiography. RESULTS: We found significantly higher mean right ventricle end-diastolic dimension (RVEDd) in COPD patients as compared to its dimension in controls (28.0 ± 4.8 mm vs. 24.4 ± 4.3 mm; P = 0.0000). Pulmonary hypertension (PH) was more frequent in COPD patients than in controls (33.3% vs. 0%; P = 0.0004) showing a linear relationship with the severity of airflow limitation. The mean value of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF%) was significantly lower in COPD patients than its mean value in controls (57.4 ± 6.9% vs 64.8 ± 2.7%; P = 0.0000) with no correlation with severity of airflow limitation. CONCLUSION: Frequency of echocardiographic changes in COPD patients was significantly higher as compared to their frequency in controls in the most cases being significantly associated with the severity of airflow limitation. Echocardiography enables early, noninvasive, and accurate diagnosis of cardiac changes in COPD patients giving time for early intervention.
Ilievska et al. (2019) conducted a cross-sectional in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (n=120). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) vs. Non-COPD controls was evaluated on Pulmonary hypertension (PH) (p=0.0004). COPD was associated with a significantly higher frequency of pulmonary hypertension compared to non-COPD controls (33.3% vs. 0%), with prevalence increasing alongside airflow limitation severity.