| Summary: | Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) is an under-diagnosed disease with a prevalence of approximately 10%, highly dependent on age and smoking habits. Comorbidities are common in COPD and of these, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most common. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death globally, and CVD probably contribute to the high mortality. Within CVD, Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) is the most common. It is highly clinically relevant to identify signs of ischemic heart disease, other cardiac conditions, and risk factors for CVD in COPD. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a simple but still major diagnostic tool in clinical cardiology, including disturbances in the electric conduction system and ischemia. Due to the under-diagnosis of COPD, there is limited knowledge regarding the prevalence and prognostic impact of ECG abnormalities in COPD. Arterial stiffness is a risk factor for CVD, which has raised an increased interest, however not evaluated in population based studies of COPD. Aim: The overall aim was to describe cardiovascular aspects on COPD, with a specific focus on arterial stiffness, prevalence and prognostic impact of ischemic ECG abnormalities and prolonged QT interval, by comparing subjects with and without obstructive lung function impairment in a population-based cohort. Methods: The thesis is based on the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) COPD study; a population-based longitudinal cohort study. During the years 2002-2004, all participants in clinical examinations from previously recruited large population-based cohorts were invited to re-examination including spirometry and a structured interview. All subjects with obstructive lung function impairment (n=993) were identified, together with 993 age and sex-matched referents without airway obstruction. The study population (n=1986) has been invited to annual examinations since 2005 including spirometry and structured interview. Papers I-III are based on data from 2005 when electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded ...
|
|---|