Title: A study on the cardiovascular comorbidities in COPD patients
Authors: V.P.Youmash, A.Ganesh Raja, Shanmugasundaram
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v6i8.122
Abstract
Background: COPD, which was once considered as a disease of lungs is now being considered as a part of systemic disease caused by smoking in which the lungs become predominantly affected. COPD results in chronic hypoxemia which causes pulmonary vasoconstriction. This results in pulmonary hypertension in the long run which causes corpulmonale. The main of this study is to see whether such COPD patients are at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and also the others cardiovascular abnormalities encountered in COPD patients since both share the common risk factor. Factors that may confound in our results like patients suffering from diabetes, hypertension are excluded from our study.
Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study, conducted by Department of General Medicine, Kanyakumari Government Medical College. The study period was from Jan 2016 to Jan 17 which included 100 COPD patients. Informed consent obtained from the patients regarding the study.
Observation and Results: It is very clear from our study that COPD patients are at increased risk of cardiovascular comorbidities, especially those who are smokers and smoke for a longer period. Also it is clear from our study that the Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) reduced statistically significantly even in the absence of other conventional risk factors or coronary artery diseases like Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Systemic Hypertension etc. COPD patients were also found to be having abnormal ECG patterns in the form of Left bundle branch block (LBBB), Left anterior hemiblock (LAHB), Right bundle branch block (RBBB). Women who accounted for 19% of the study population were also found to at increased comorbidities in the form of conduction abnormalities, reduced ejection fraction even though they are non smokers.
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