Pulmonary Hypertension Demographics, Frequency and Associated Factors among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

PH demographics, frequency and associated factors among COPD patients

Abstract

Objective: To determine the demographics, frequency and associated factors of pulmonary hypertension among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in a tertiary care hospital.

Methodology: After ethical approval, this cross-sectional study included 217 patients with COPD using convenient sampling technique. This study was done at the Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital, Islamabad in six months from January 2024 to December 2024. All the patients underwent a comprehensive evaluation to assess the presence, severity, and underlying cause of pulmonary hypertension (PH) after informed consent. Data was collected through a semi-structured proforma with sections of socio-demographic parameters of the participants, behavioral factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and clinical comorbidities such as congestive heart failure (CHF) and HIV infection. The data was analyzed using the SPSS version 25 of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results: Out of 217 COPD patients, 116 (53.5%) had pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension was more prevalent in males (60.3%) compared to females (39.4%) (p-value = 0.003). Age group analysis showed a higher prevalence in individuals aged 56-80 years (71.5%) compared to those less than 56 years (29.8%) with a p-value of <0.001. A history of alcohol intake (p-value = 0.013), smoking (p < 0.001) and CHF (p-value = 0.010) were significantly associated with higher prevalence rates of pulmonary hypertension.

Conclusion: The study found that COPD patients have a higher prevalence of pulmonary hypertension. Factors such as male gender, old age, alcohol consumption, smoking and congestive heart failure are identified as factors increasing the risk of developing pulmonary hypertension.