[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as a risk factor for coronary heart disease]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) are a significant health problem, not only due to their high incidence, but also because of the significant burden of socio - economic. The frequency of illness in a population, in both cases increases with age and in people over 70 years of age is properly 50% and 75%. Epidemiological data suggest that patients with COPD are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and impaired lung function is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular death. This phenomenon may be related to common genetic predisposition and of systemic inflammation for atherosclerosis.