Study of incidence of heart failure in COPD exacerbation- A study in north India

Abstract

Progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has a considerable effect on heart function including pulmonary hypertension, cor-pulmonale, Right and Left sided heart dysfunction. As COPD and heart failure (HF) share a common clinical feature, delay in diagnosis is associated with increased mortality. We aimed to study the incidence of heart failure in patients with COPD exacerbation.142 patients were enrolled for study. It is a cross-sectional comparative study. We categorized exacerbation into two groups: respiratory failure and non-failure group. Patients were staged by spirometry after stabilization. Echocardigraphic evaluation and BNP levels were measured along with routine investigations.The mean age of the study group was 63.53±9.021. The overall incidence of heart failure in exacerbation of COPD patients in our study group was 33.09%(n=47). Incidence of HF was 50.6%(n=41) patients in the respiratory failure group and 9.8%(n=6) in non-respiratory failure group respectively. Right sided heart failure was recorded in 82.92% of case in group one whereas in group two 66.66% had left ventricular dysfunction. Our study concludes that overall incidence of heart failure in COPD exacerbation is 33.09%. Respiratory failure complicates heart failure and hence the incidence increases. Severe stages of disease are associated with Right sided heart failure more frequently.