Frequency of Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is frequently associated with pulmonary hypertension, which significantly impacts patient outcomes. This study aimed to determine the frequency of pulmonary hypertension in patients with COPD. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Pulmonology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi. A total of 162 COPD patients aged 18-80 years were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed via echocardiography when pulmonary artery systolic pressure was >35 mmHg and tricuspid regurgitant velocity was >3.4. Data was analyzed using SPSS v25.0. Results: Among 162 patients, 92 (56.8%) were males and 70 (43.2%) were females with a mean age of 46.17±14.27 years. Pulmonary hypertension was found in 44 (27.2%) patients. Significant associations were observed between pulmonary hypertension and diabetes mellitus (p=0.001), smoking (p=0.001), and COPD duration (p=0.001). No significant associations were found with gender, age groups, or BMI categories. Conclusion: Pulmonary hypertension was present in more than one-fourth of COPD patients. Diabetes mellitus, smoking history, and longer COPD duration were significantly associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension in these patients.