Anonnya Rahman1, Md. Enamul Karim2 , Md. Khairul Hassan Jessy3, Nigar Sultana Ahmed1, Syed Nesar Ahmed4, Bulbul Parveen4, Shekhar Kumar Mondal5

Abstract
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of hospitalization in
adults in our country. Different studies have suggested that subjects with COPD are at an increased risk of
cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, which cannot exclusively be attributed to the fact of sharing the
habit of smoking as an etiological factor. But yet relatively minor attention has been paid to the cardiovascular
status of patients with COPD. The purpose of the study was to assess common risk factors of COPD and
cardiovascular disease (CVD). We undertook the study to estimate the cardiovascular disease status in
the hospitalized COPD patients. Methods: Hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of COPD, as per the
GOLD criteria were included in this prospective observational study. COPD patients having stroke, diabetes,
malignancy were excluded from the study. Co-existing cardiovascular diseases were identified in them.
Results: A total of 100 admissions of COPD were considered for study evaluation. Cardiovascular diseases
were identified in 78% patients. 44% patients showed evidence of underlying ischemic heart disease,
either overt or silent disease. Congestive heart failure was the second commonest (29%) followed by atrial
fibrillation (5%). Conclusion: COPD is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is the best
predictor of CVD mortality risk. This paper describes the close relationship between COPD and cardiovascular
diseases. The finding of a stronger relationship of COPD to CVD outcomes suggests that CVD risk should
be monitored and treated with particular care in patients with COPD.
Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Cardiovascular disease (CVD), Ischemic
Heart Disease (IHD), Congestive Cardiac Failure (CCF), Atrial Fibrilation (AF).

Download PDF