P215 Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Without Hypoxaemia: The Elephant in the Room?

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with significant cardiovascular mortality. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a pivotal cardiovascular risk factor. The prevalence of LVH in COPD is currently unknown.

Methods We performed a pilot study of 93 normoxaemic COPD patients and 34 controls. Patients underwent echocardiography to measure left ventricular (LV) dimensions; electrocardiography; 24-hour blood pressure (BP) recording; and serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, along with spirometry and oxygen saturations.

Results COPD patients’ oxygen saturations were normal at 96.5% (95%CI: 96.1–97.0%), with a mean FEV1 of 70.0% predicted (95% CI: 65.2–74.8%). 30.1% of COPD patients met echocardiographic criteria for LVH based on LV mass index, with more LVH in females than males (43.2% vs. 21.4%, p=0.02). LV mass index in COPD was 96.2g/m2 (95%CI: 90.1–102.7g/m2) vs. controls 82.9g/m2 (95%CI: 75.8–90.6g/m2), p=0.017 (Figure 1). LV mass index remained high in COPD patients in the absence of hypertension history (94.5g/m2 vs. 79.9g/m2, p=0.015) and with 24-hr systolic BP<135mmHg (96.7g/m2 vs. 82.5g/m2, p=0.024). LV ejection fraction (mean=63.4%) and BNP (mean=28.7pg/ml) were normal in COPD patients. Mean 24hr BP was normal in COPD patients at 125/72mmHg. Electrocardiography was less sensitive for detecting LVH than echocardiography.