Is COPD a risk factor for electrocardiographic abnormalities and cardiac arrhythmias?

Abstract

Introduction: While advancing with age and COPD severity, cardiovascular diseases are the most encountered comorbidities. Unlike hypertension (HT), ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and congestive heart failure (CHF), electrocardiographic abnormalities (ECG Ab) and cardiac arrhythmias (CA) are less studied, despite their serious implications.

Aims and objectives: To evaluate the frequency of ECG Ab/CA in a lot of 742 pts, the correlations and to estimate the risk of ECG Ab/CA to be recorded in COPD patients.

Methods: 2 groups of pts were assessed for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), HT, IHD, CHF, ECG Ab/CA, diabetes, dyslipidemia and COPD. Group A was composed of COPD pts (N 117, 77 M/65.8%, 40 F/34.2%, mean age 67.50, SD 10.19) and group B of non-COPD pts (N 625, 205 M/27.6%, 420 F/67.2%, mean age 60.63, SD 14.19). COPD pts were staged according to GOLD criteria in stage I 44/37.60%, II 39/33.33%, III 30/25.64% and IV 4/3.41%.

Results: 40 COPD pts/34.2% had ECG Ab/CA vs 116 non-COPD pts/31.4%, p<0.0001. The most frequent anomalies were atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter and sinus tachycardia in both groups: 16 pts/13.7% respectively 8 pts/6.8% in group A; 48 pts/7.7% respectively 20 pts/3.2% in group B. In group A it was a positive but weak correlation between ECG Ab/CA and COPD (r=0.112, p<0.01), smoking (r=0,098, p<0.01) and CHF (r=0.168, p<0.01). The OR for ECG Ab/arrhythmias to appear in COPD pts was 0.543 (95% CI 0.402-0.733).

Conclusions: ECG Ab/CA correlated positively but weak with history of smoking, COPD and CHF in the COPD group. The presence of COPD was associated with higher odds for ECG Ab/CA to be recorded, meaning that COPD is a risk factor for detecting electrical anomalies.