Patterns of pulmonary hypertension in Egyptian patients with COPD: A retrospective analysis

Background: Mild-to-moderate pulmonary hypertension (PH), i.e., mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) >20 mmHg, is a common complication of COPD. Aim: To characterize PH in patients with moderate-severe COPD using right heart catherization (RHC). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 69 stable COPD patients who had RHC at the pulmonary vascular hemodynamic unit for research purposes. Results: Patients (94% males, age: 56±10 years, mean±SD) had FEV1 of 35±17 %predicted and resting arterial O2 tension (PaO2) of 62±11 mmHg. Resting PH was identified in 44/69 (64%); out of those, 18/44 had severe PH [i.e., mPAP>35 OR mPAP≥25 mmHg with unexplained low cardiac index (CI, Conclusion: PH is not uncommon in moderate-severe COPD patients and can be partially explained by vascular bed destruction with resultant increase in PVR, regardless of the degree of airflow limitation. Out of proportion PH, that constitutes a respective percentage of such patients, deserves special consideration for early detection and proper management.