Excessive aortic inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: an 18F-FDG PET pilot study.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients exhibit increased cardiovascular risk, even after controlling for smoking. Inflammation may underlie this observation.


METHODS
We measured vascular inflammation in both COPD patients and controls using (18)F-FDG PET/CT. Aortic inflammation was expressed as the target-to-background ratio (TBR) of the standardized uptake value in 7 COPD patients, 5 metabolic syndrome patients, and 7 ex-smokers.


RESULTS
Abdominal aortic mean TBR (+/-SD) was greater in COPD patients than in ex-smoker controls (1.60 +/- 0.13 vs. 1.34 +/- 0.15, P = 0.0001). Aortic arch and abdominal aorta mean TBRs were higher in metabolic syndrome patients than in COPD patients (aortic arch, 1.80 +/- 0.18 vs. 1.53 +/- 0.18, P = 0.001, and abdominal aorta, 1.71 +/- 0.14 vs. 1.60 +/- 0.13, P = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
COPD patients exhibited aortic inflammation that fell between the aortic inflammation exhibited by ex-smokers and that by metabolic syndrome patients. This may in part explain the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in COPD patients.
Coulson
James M
JM
Wales Heart Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
Rudd
James H F
JH
Duckers
James M
JM
Rees
John I S
JI
Shale
Dennis J
DJ
Bolton
Charlotte E
CE
Cockcroft
John R
JR
D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001167:Arteritis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications*; D012907:Smoking
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18