Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among patients with systemic arterial hypertension without respiratory symptoms

• Published in: International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Vol. 10; no. Issue 1; pp. 1525 - 1529
• Main Authors: Rabahi, Marcelo Fouad, Pereira, Sheila Alves, Silva Júnior, José Laerte Rodrigues, de Rezende, Aline Pacheco, Castro da Costa, Adeliane, de Sousa Corrêa, Krislainy, Conde, Marcus Barreto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.01.2015; Dove Medical Press Ltd; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Aged; Air Pollutants, Occupational - adverse effects; Airway management; Antihypertensive Agents - therapeutic use; Arterial Pressure - drug effects; Asthma; Biomass; Blood pressure; Brazil - epidemiology; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Comorbidity; Consent; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnosis; Evaluation; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume; Health facilities; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - diagnosis; Hypertension - drug therapy; Hypertension - epidemiology; Hypertension - physiopathology; Inhalation Exposure - adverse effects; Lung - physiopathology; Lung diseases, Obstructive; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Original Research; Physiological aspects; Prevalence; Primary care; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - diagnosis; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - epidemiology; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - physiopathology; Pulmonary function tests; Risk Factors; Smoking - adverse effects; Smoking - epidemiology; Spirometry; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tobacco; Tuberculosis; Vital Capacity; Brazil; Switzerland; ASW, Brazil; hypertension; public health; COPD
• DOI: 10.2147/COPD.S85588
• ISSN: 1178-2005; 1176-9106

The diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often delayed until later stages of the disease. The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of COPD among adults on treatment for systemic arterial hypertension independently of the presence of respiratory symptoms. This cross-sectional study included adults aged ≥40 years with tobacco/occupational exposure and systemic arterial hypertension diagnosed at three Primary Health Care facilities in Goiania, Brazil. Patients were evaluated using a standardized respiratory questionnaire and spirometry. COPD prevalence was measured considering the value of forced vital capacity and/or forced expiratory volume in 1 second <0.70. Of a total of 570 subjects, 316 (55%) met inclusion criteria and were invited to participate. Two hundred and thirty-three (73.7%) patients with arterial hypertension reported at least one respiratory symptom, while 83 (26.3%) reported no respiratory symptoms; 41 (17.6%) patients with arterial hypertension and at least one respiratory symptom, and 10 (12%) patients with arterial hypertension but no respiratory symptoms were diagnosed with COPD (P=0.24). The prevalence of COPD in people with no previous COPD diagnosis was greater among those with no respiratory symptoms (100%) than among those with respiratory symptoms (56.1%) (P=0.01). Our findings suggest that regardless of the presence of respiratory symptoms, individuals aged ≥40 years with tobacco/occupational exposure and arterial hypertension may benefit from spirometric evaluation.