Abstract

In order to evaluate the frequency of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) , general features, pulmonary functions, arterial oxygenations , and pulmonary arterial pressures in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 33 male patients ( mean age : 65.3 ± 7.7 years, range : 50-80 ) with mean COPD duration of 13.7 ± 11.7 years (2-50) were included in the study. Pulmonary function tests (PFT), arterial blood gas analysis (ABGA), echocardiography(ECHO) to measure pulmonary arterial pressures and full - night 16 channel polysomnography (PSG) were applied to all cases. 27.3 % of the patients had severe and 24.2 % had very severe disease ,and 66.7 % of cases without significant daytime hypoxemia and hypercapnia ( mean PaO2 : 77.4 ± 11.3 mmHg and mean PaCO2 : 41.1 ± 5.5 mmHg ) had excess weight and obesity.

PSG revealed overlap syndrome (OVS) in 23 ( 69.7 % ) cases. ECHO showed pulmonary hypertension in 12 (36.4 %) patients. In 9 (75 %) of these, OSAS was coexisting with COPD. A positive relationship was detected between pulmonary arterial pressures and AHI and AI ( p<0.05 ). In patients with pulmonary hypertension, demographic features, PFT’s, ABGA and hematocrit values showed no statistically significant difference from patients without.

In conclusion, when risk factors like obesity and older age are coexisting with COPD, OSAS is more common and PSG should be performed in case of clinical suspicion. No data was obtained whether pulmonary hypertension was more frequent in patients with OVS, but risk of pulmonary hypertension was increased in this group of patients.