Cardiovascular risk after hospitalization for exacerbation of COPD

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Recent data suggest that the risk of cardiovascular events after hospitalization for exacerbation of COPD(ECOPD) is increased compared to patients without ECOPD₁. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk factors associated with the presence of major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE) following hospitalization for ECOPD. <bold>Methods:</bold> Prospective observational study on a cohort of COPD patients requiring hospitalization for ECOPD of any nature. Cases with active cancer were excluded. Patients were followed after hospital admission to assess the presence or absence of MACE. MACE was defined as the presence of at least one of the following criteria:acute myocardial infarction, revascularization, unstable angina, ischemic stroke, heart failure or cardiovascular death. Symptoms, comorbidity, lung function(both stable and acute phases),EKG,cardiovascular biomarkers(NT-proBNP, troponin),chest computed tomography(CT) and QRISK3 score were evaluated. Cox logistic regression was performed with all variables that showed a significant association with the presence of MACE in the previous bivariate study. <bold>Results:</bold> 165 patients were included, 18.8% women and 81.2% men, with a mean age±SD of 70±9 years and a FEV₁ of 49±17%. 20.6% patients had MACE in the months following admission, 4.2% of them in the first 90 days(Figure 1). Independent risk factors for MACE are shown in Table 1. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Major cardiovascular events are commom after hospitalization for COPD. A history of ischemic heart disease or previous stroke, the presence of pleural effusion in chest X-ray, elevated NT-proBNP and >20% drop in FEV₁ during the acute phase of the disease increase the risk of MACE. Conversely, emphysema significantly decreses this risk.