Association between Arterial Stiffness and Acute Exacerbations in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Objective: Acute exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can result in a major systemic effect due to hypoxemia and systemic inflammation. In our study, we investigated the effects of acute exacerbation of COPD on arterial stiffness (AS) in patients admitted to our hospital.
Methods: Enrolled in the study were 21 healthy volunteers who constituted the control group and 25 patients who had been admitted to our hospital between May and December 2011 with acute exacerbation of COPD diagnosed based on Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines.
Results: The average AS values were 1498.00±699.35 dyne.sec.cm-5 in patients with mild hypoxemia, 2095.09±883.31 dyne.sec.cm-5 in those with moderate hypoxemia, and 2077.66±99.15 dyne.sec.cm-5 in those with severe hypoxemia. There was no statistically significant correlation between severity of hypoxemia and AS value (p>0.05). But, there was a statistically significant difference in values of AS, compared between mild hypoxemia (PaO2≥60 mm Hg) and moderate and severe hypoxemia (PaO2<60 mm Hg) (p=0.047). Arterial stiffness was significantly higher, while the large artery elasticity index (LAEI) and small artery elasticity index (SAEI) were lower in the patient group as compared to the control group (p=0.002, p=0.043, and p=0.036, respectively).
Conclusion: In PaO2<60 mmHg AS values were higher than in PaO2≥60 mmHg during acute exacerbation of COPD. The AS value was significantly higher while LAEI and SAEI were significantly lower in the patient group as compared to the control group.