COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a condition in which the lungs gradually stop functioning, can now be best managed by keeping a watch on a key heart test: Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI).
While CAVI is traditionally used to assess arterial stiffness as a cardiovascular marker, this study published in journal Respiratory Medicine emphasizes its prognostic value in COPD.
It can function as an independent predictor of disease progression and outcome바카라regardless of a patient's age, respiratory symptoms, or airflow limitation, as per the study.
Elevated CAVI values were linked to a significantly higher risk of severe exacerbations, disability, and mortality among COPD patients. The study explained that CAVI could be an effective measure to determine whether COPD has reached an advanced stage in a patient.
This retrospective observational study examined 102 COPD patients (median age: 74) who had undergone CAVI testing. The primary goal was to explore how arterial stiffness, as indicated by CAVI, correlates with disease severity and long-term prognosis. Patients were divided into two groups based on their median CAVI values to assess these associations more clearly.
It was found that patients with higher CAVI values (>9.4) had worse clinical indicators such as Lower FEVâ (forced expiratory volume in 1 second), indicating impaired lung function.
These associations held independently of age, smoking history, or degree of airflow obstruction.
The study 바카라The role of arterial stiffness as assessed by the cardio-ankle vascular index in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease바카라 concluded that integrating CAVI into routine COPD assessments may offer dual benefits such as better monitoring of disease progression, insight into cardiovascular health, which is often compromised in COPD patients.
COPD, a progressive lung disease that causes narrowing of the airways and difficulty in breathing, affects millions worldwide and is a leading cause of death.
Common symptoms include shortness of breath, chronic cough, and fatigue. Tobacco smoking is the primary cause in high-income countries, while household air pollution remains a major risk factor in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
