Evaluation of Arterial Stiffness in Patients with Bronchial Asthma and Co-Existent Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The objective of the research was to determine the characteristics of arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk in patients with co-existence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Materials and methods. The study included patients with symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, those with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the group of apparently healthy individuals. Results. In patients with obstructive lung disease, the parameters of vascular stiffness and central blood pressure reflecting the degree of cardiovascular risk were significantly higher as compared to those in apparently healthy individuals. They were significantly elevated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap. The indicators of central blood pressure were significantly higher in patients with asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap and more pronounced bronchial obstruction, and in patients with more obvious symptoms of obstructive pathology. Excess body weight or obesity had a strong and pronounced effect on the parameters of central blood pressure in patients with asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap. In patients with a comorbidity, a reliable correlation between the indicator of the presence of pulmonary hyperinflation and the degree of arterial stiffness was revealed.