- Abnormally high blood pressure in the lungs can cause a complication called cor pulmonale. The right ventricle of the heart enlarges, eventually leading to heart failure.
- Chronic bronchitis is associated with a 50% higher risk of death from coronary artery disease, independent of the risks associated with smoking.
- Patients with long-term and severe hypoxia and hypercapnia are at risk for acute respiratory failure, which can cause heart rhythm abnormalities or other life-threatening conditions.
Other Serious Medical Problems Associated with COPD
The smoking that causes COPD is associated with high risks of pneumonia, lung cancer, stroke, and heart attack. Tobacco smoke contains more than 400 substances, many of which are oxidants, metals (such as lead, cadmium, and aluminum), and cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens). Nicotine itself may not damage tissues, but it addicts smokers to tobacco.
Lung Cancer. Patients with a 30-year history of smoking and signs of limited airflow (most patients with COPD) are at high risk for lung cancer.
Sleep Disturbance. About half of all people with severe COPD experience sleep disorders such as sleep-related hypoxia or insomnia. Nocturnal hypoxia, a lack of oxygen during sleep, occurs when breathing is shallowest during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. It may be due to suppression of the cough reflex and a build-up of mucus. Nocturnal hypoxia is treated with overnight oxygen therapy. As COPD worsens, many patients have trouble falling or staying asleep. COPD patients should not use sleep medications. Nighttime oxygen or a change in COPD medications from beta-agonists to anticholinergics can sometimes help restore restful sleep.
Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis (thin and weakened bones) is a significant problem in patients with COPD. Many conditions associated with COPD, including smoking, lack of vitamin D, sedentary lifestyle, and the use of corticosteroid medications put people at risk for bone density loss and osteoporosis.
Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD). Many patients with severe COPD have GERD, a condition in which stomach acids back up from the stomach into the esophagus. However, many COPD patients don't report experiencing GERD symptoms such as heartburn.
Aspiration Pneumonia. Problems with breathing and swallowing put people with moderate-to-severe COPD at increased risk for aspiration pneumonia. This condition occurs when saliva, other fluids, or food is breathed into the airways.
Previous Section
Review Date: 04/10/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M.,
Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
