title: Association between carotid intima-media thickness and presence of coronary artery disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is the sign of subclinical atherosclerosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether CIMT measurement is related with significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with COPD, similar to those without COPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eight patients with previously diagnosed COPD and 78 patients without COPD who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) were enrolled in this prospective cross-sectional study. Carotid artery ultrasonography was performed on all patients after coronary angiography by another operator who was blind to the CAG results. The patients were divided into four subgroups as follows: group 1: COPD (-) and CAD (-); group 2: COPD (-) and CAD (+); group 3: COPD (+) and CAD (+); and group 4: COPD (+) and CAD (-). Patients with previous coronary revascularization, carotid artery disease, and lung disease other than COPD were not enrolled in this study. The student's t-test, chi-square analysis, multiple logistic regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CIMT was found to be highest in patients with both significant CAD and COPD (group 3) (p<0.05). Among the 108 COPD patients, the odds ratio associated with the CIMT >1.25 mm to predict CAD was 12.4. The area under the ROC curve for a cut-off value of 1.25 mm for CIMT to predict CAD in COPD patients was calculated as 0.913, with a sensitivity of 89.7% and specificity of 86.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CIMT has a predictive value for the presence of CAD in patients with COPD. Further studies are needed to validate our results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara-Turkey.
authors.forename: Cemal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Köseoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tarsus State Hospital, Mersin-Turkey. ozge_kurmus@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Özge
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Kurmuş
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara-Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet Göktuğ
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Ertem
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara-Turkey.
authors.forename: Büşra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Çolak
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara-Turkey.
authors.forename: Emine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bilen
authors.affiliation: Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Centre, Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul-Turkey.
authors.forename: Göktürk
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: İpek
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara-Turkey.
authors.forename: Tahir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Durmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara-Turkey.
authors.forename: Telat
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Keleş
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara-Turkey.
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bozkurt