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on March 10, 2003

Circulation. 2003
Published online before print March 10, 2003, doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000056767.69054.B3
A more recent version of this article appeared on March 25, 2003
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Submitted on November 21, 2002
Accepted on December 5, 2002

Why Are Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease at Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases?. The Potential Role of Systemic Inflammation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Don D. Sin MD, MPH* and S.F. Paul Man MD

From the Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division (D.D.S., S.F.P.M.), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and The Institute of Health Economics (D.D.S.), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: don.sin{at}ualberta.ca.

Background--Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease 2- to 3- fold. The factors responsible for this association remain largely unknown.

Methods and Results--We analyzed data from participants, >=50 years of age, of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n=6629) to determine whether C-reactive protein (CRP) and other systemic inflammatory markers are present in participants with chronic airflow obstruction and are associated with cardiac injury. Participants with severe airflow obstruction had circulating leukocyte, platelet, and fibrinogen levels that were 460/µL (95% confidence interval [CI], 30 to 890/µL), 39 510/µL (95% CI, 21 730 to 57 290/µL), and 41.63 mg/dL (95% CI, 19.87 to 63.39 mg/dL) higher, respectively, than in those without airflow obstruction. They were also 2.18 times (95% CI, 1.46 to 3.27) more likely to have an elevated circulating CRP level. Moderate airflow obstruction was associated with smaller but still significant increases in these levels. Moderate and severe airflow obstruction was associated with increased occurrence of ischemic changes on electrocardiograms of participants. In the presence of both highly elevated CRP and moderate or severe airflow obstruction, the Cardiac Infarction Injury Score was 2.68 and 5.88 U higher, respectively, than in those without airflow obstruction and with low CRP, which suggests an additive effect of CRP and COPD on the risk of cardiac injury.

Conclusion--Low-grade systemic inflammation was present in participants with moderate to severe airflow obstruction and was associated with increased risk of cardiac injury. This may in part explain the high rates of cardiovascular complications in COPD.


Key words: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease • inflammation, systemic • C-reactive protein • epidemiology




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