Evaluation of cardiac function by echocardiography in patients with interstitial lung disease, divided by ILD group

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) is a group of pathologies, which concludes in fibrosis and hypoxia. It has been shown that hypoxia periods produce vasoconstriction in the pulmonary circulation, with consequences in the heart at a structural and functional level, especially on the Right Ventricle (RV). Method: Evaluated cardiac function according to type of ILD. Method: In a Cross-sectional study, ILD patients were included. Subjects with infections and cancer were excluded. Subjects were classified into 3 groups. Group 1: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Group 2: Fibrosis related to collagen-vascular diseases. Group 3: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The cardiovascular function was evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. Results: Were evaluated 82 patients; the mean age was 62.6 ± 12.0 year. Group 1 had higher alterations in Interventricular septum (G1 1.09 ± 0.16 vs G2 1.08 ± 0.20 vs G3 0.92 ± 0.14, p= 0.025) and higher RV basal diameter (G1 39.15 ± 6.84 vs G2 34.55 ± 5.25 vs G3 37.93 ± 7.95, p=0.036). In Left ventricle Systolic diameter group 2 was higher (G1 2.54 ± 0.35 vs G2 2.71 ± 0.46 vs G3 2.37 ± 0.42, p = 0.061) same in Right Ventricular shortening fraction (G1 39 [36-43] vs G2 42.3 [39.5-47.5] vs G3 41 [39-41], p= 0.083).IPF subjects had more desaturation events than other groups. Conclusion: Patients with IPF have structural alterations in the RV, which suggest an incipient right ventricular dysfunction. Unlike the rest of the populations evaluated, patients with IPF also has more episodes of desaturations; Hypoxia can produce vascular changes at a pulmonary level and consequent remodelling of the right ventricle.