Kronik Obstrüktif Akciğer Hastaliği Olan Hastalarda Pulmoner Hipertansiyon Sikliği: Bir Prospektif Klinik Çalișma Prevalence of Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Prospective Clinical Study

AIM: To determine the prevalence and the stage of pulmonary hypertension according to stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: Eighty patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2010 and without an additional disease were included to the study. The patients were randomly selected in order of application to the clinic. Pulmonary function tests and echocardiographic examinations were performed during attack free routine controls. The patients were divided into four groups depending on the severity of the results of respiratory function tests. Each group consisted of 20 patients. The patients with abnormal left ventricular function demonstrated during echocardiographic examination were excluded. The obtained data were loaded to SPSS 15 program and statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: There were 18 (22.5%) female and 62 (77.5%) male patients. The mean age of patients was detected as 58.6±13.9. The mean pulmonary artery pressure of all the participants was 31.1±11.8 mmHg. The mean pulmonary artery pressure was 18.6±4.5 in stage 1,26.7±5.2 in stage 2,32.3±6.8 in stage 3 and 46.8±6.5 mmHg in stage 4 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed in 5 patients with stage one, 15 patients with stage two, 18 patients with stage three and all 20 patients with stage four. The pulmonary artery pressures in stage two, three and four were signifi cantly higher in comparison with the pressure in stage one (p<0.001).