COPD part of a larger syndrome: study

Chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease (COPD) is a condition that's misunderstood, finds a new study.

Though it's seen as a chronic lung disease brought on by smoking, new research shows COPD is linked to other diseases, such as cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, certain cancers, skeletal muscle abnormalities, high blood pressure and diabetes.

"Patients with COPD mainly die of non-respiratory disorders such as cardiovascular disorders or cancer," reads the report.

It finds that COPD is associated with chronic heart failure in more than 20 per cent of patients.

The study says that these conditions are all a function of chronic inflammation brought on by COPD's risk factors: smoking, high cholesterol, obesity and high blood pressure. Itrefers to this condition as chronic systemic inflammatory syndrome.

The findings are published in the Sept. 1 issue of the Lancet.

COPD not just a lung disease

COPD is a progressive lung disease, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, in which the lungs overreact, producing an inflammatory response to particles or gases, such as cigarette smoke. Symptoms include shortness of breath, increased mucusand coughing, as well as the sensation of breathing through a straw, according to the Lung Association of Canada.

The disease slowly damages a person's airways and the air sacs at the tips of the airways. There is no cure, but treatments can decrease inflammation and increase air flow.

The study's authors say thatCOPD should be seen as part of a larger disease process, rather than how it isseen now, as primarily a smoker's disease. And treatment should not be focused on just the lungs, but rather the attendant health issues.

"A comprehensive diagnostic approach to chronic disorders is needed. All risk factors should be approached with lifestyle modifications (e.g., smoking cessation, weight loss, physical activity) and every associated chronic co-morbid disorder should be treated simultaneously," reads the report.

It says that in patients over 40 who have smoked for over 10 years who develop symptoms of COPD, doctors should look for signs of inflammatory syndrome and assess the person's cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic systems at the same time.

Early intervention is critical, say the study's authors, as "an unprecedented increase in chronic diseases is expected in the next few decades as populations age."

In Canada, 4.3 per cent of the population over age 35 has physician-diagnosed COPD, according to Health Canada's 200-01 statistics.