• Roberto A Rabinovich and William MacNee.
• Edinburgh Lung and the Environment Group Initiative (ELEGI), Centre for Inflammation Research, Queens Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK.
• Expert Rev Respir Med. 2015 Aug 1; 9 (4): 459-72.

AbstractChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by largely irreversible airflow limitation and is associated with several extrapulmonary manifestations and co-morbidities. Cardiovascular diseases are among the most frequent co-morbid conditions affecting patients with COPD and have important prognostic implications for hospitalization and mortality. In turn, COPD shares common risk factors with several cardiovascular diseases (i.e., smoking habit), while several features of COPD can predispose to cardiovascular disease (i.e., gas exchange abnormalities, polycythemia, systemic inflammation and sedentary lifestyle). Cardiovascular co-morbidities in patients with COPD are under-recognized and undertreated and should be actively sought and treated according to usual guidelines. This review will discuss the increased prevalence and prognostic implications of cardiovascular co-morbidities in patients with COPD. The effect of COPD on the outcomes in cardiovascular disease will also be highlighted and the pathogenic mechanisms that underlie cardiovascular co-morbidities in patients with COPD will also be reviewed. Finally, options for the management of cardiovascular co-morbidities in patients with COPD will be discussed.

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