Prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in Indonesian patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (HT) is a common comorbidity and implicated in the cardiac-related mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Echocardiography provides accurate and rapid information to detect pulmonary HT. The prevalence of HT among Indonesian patients with COPD, however, remains unclear. The aim of this study is to elucidate the prevalence of pulmonary HT based on echocardiography findings in stable COPD Indonesian patients at the Persahabatan Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study among stable COPD patients who visit COPD Outpatient Clinics in Persahabatan Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, from January to June 2017. Medical history interview, physical examination, spirometry, and echocardiography were performed to all participants who meet the criteria. Results: A total of seventy subjects with COPD performed echocardiography with a mean age of 65.68 ± 7.65 years old. Most of subjects were men (95.7%). There were 30% participants with pulmonary HT and 8.6% participants with right ventricle dilatation. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between pulmonary HT and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) <30% and body mass index (BMI). Conclusion: Pulmonary HT is frequent in Indonesian patients with COPD and is associated with severe airway obstruction as well as reduced BMI; therefore, pulmonary HT should be well managed in a holistic manner to prevent the deteriorating conditions.