6/20/2007 - Study helps explain link between COPD and heart disease A new study may help explain why people who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk for heart disease. The study, published by the American Thoracic Society in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found that people with COPD are more likely to have stiffened arteries than people who don't have the disease. And people who had both COPD and the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis—a possible complication of COPD—had the stiffest arteries. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Lung Association. It involves persistent obstruction of the airways caused by emphysema or chronic bronchitis. Smoking is the most common cause of COPD. Researchers in the United Kingdom studied 75 people with COPD who had various levels of airway obstruction, and 42 smokers or ex-smokers who did not have heart disease or COPD. Researchers checked people's lung function, bone strength and level of arterial stiffness. They also tested people's blood for indicators of inflammation, which previous studies have linked to both artery disease and osteoporosis. Though the exact link between COPD and arterial stiffness was not identified, researchers found elevated levels of arterial stiffness and inflammation in people with COPD—even in those with mild forms of the disease. Study participants with osteoporosis had the greatest arterial stiffness. The findings suggest that age-related bone and vascular changes occur prematurely in people who have COPD. An editorial accompanying the study said the findings provide "important new information" on the relationship between cardiovascular disease and COPD. However, the editorial noted that more research on the topic is needed. Back