[Plasma lipids in respiratory insufficiency: relation with hypercapnia and hypoxaemia (author's transl)]

A study of plasma lipids in a group of 111 patients with chronic lung disease has been carried out and compared with a reference group of 37 normal subjects. In decompensated patients, a decrease in beta-lipoproteins, cholesterol, triglycerids, total lipids, and in the beta-lipoproteins cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio (Cb-Ct) was observed. These changes were not in correlation with PaCO2 values, neither with the presence or absence of cor pulmonale, but seemed to be related with the degree of hypoxaemia. The distribution of patients in two groups according to PaO2 (below or above 50 mmHg) revealed statistically significant difference. The follow-up of 23 of these patients showed a good correlation of clinical evolution with dyslipemia.