Abstract
The influence of disease severity on the prevalence of comorbidities in COPD patients is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of comorbidities in 25 mild/moderate COPD patients (68% male gender, age= 65±8 years, FEV1= 73±15%) and 25 severity/very severity CPOD patients (56% male gender, age= 69±9 years, FEV1= 40±18%). Comordities were registered based on medical charts diagnoses, on Charlson comorbidity index and on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Of the 50 patients evaluated, 70% had diagnosis of comorbidities, and 42% of these were cardiovascular diseases (40% hypertension, 10% coronary artery disease and 6% heart failure grade I). Depression was present in 20% of patients, dyslipidemia in 14% and diabetes mellitus in 14%. The prevalence of dyslipidemia (p=0.02), depression (0.008) and alcoholism (p=0.06) were higher in patients with mild to moderate disease. Charlson comorbidity index, systemic arterial blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease and chronic cardiac failure and the scores of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were similar between both groups. The majority of patients with diagnostic of dyslipidemia had concentrations of lipids (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides) within normal values and the lipid profile were similar between groups. In conclusion, comorbidities are highly prevalevent in COPD patients regardless of the disease severity. Some diseases such as dyslipidemia, depression and alcoholism are even more prevalente in mild/moderate patients.
Research supported by FAPESP (2010/10312-1)
- © 2011 ERS
