from journal PLOS One
Previous evidence suggests patients with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) frequently have more heart disease than would be expected from smoking habits, gender and age. A study from the University of Bergen in Norway helps explain that. It found patients with COPD have narrower coronary arteries and a higher degree of calcification in their arteries. The severity of the heart disease did not seem to track with the severity of the COPD symptoms, including evidence that coronary disease can be seen early in the progression of COPD. The study, published in the journal PLOS One, shows the importance of early detection of coronary heart disease in all COPD patients.