Patients with lung disease are more likely to develop heart disease regardless of their risk factors, according to a new study.

New research published in Orphanet Rare Disease Journal They studied patients with a rare genetic disease called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), which causes a lung disease similar to COPD, independent of risk factors such as smoking and age. More than 220 AATD patients participated in the study, along with COPD patients and a non-pulmonary disease control population. and all were assessed for current cardiovascular disease (CVD) and recognized risk factors, including assessment of vascular stiffness, which is known to increase risk of future events. He was then followed for 4 years to see if the patient developed her CVD.

Patients with AATD, a rare genetic disease, had the highest adjusted scores of all participants for vascular stiffness, but the lowest scores for standard-related risk factors for CVD, accounting for nearly half of patients (45%). The scores were high on one side and low on the other. .

On the other hand, COPD and control participants had similar scores on direct and indirect measures of CVD risk.

Furthermore, although AATD participants had lower risk factors associated with developing cardiovascular disease, including a higher proportion of younger people and never smokers, 12.7% of participants had developed CVD after 4 years of follow-up. The disease has developed.

This long-term study provided a unique look at the relationship between lung and heart disease by following a group of patients with this rare genetic disease.

Our research shows that people with lung disease are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and that looking only at traditional factors such as age and smoking does not provide a complete picture of the relationship between these two essential systems. It has been shown that this is not possible. In your body. ”

Robert Stockley, Professor and Consultant in the Department of Acute Respiratory Medicine, University of Birmingham, and senior author of the paper

Potential therapeutic targets

Participants also provided blood that was tested for enzymes associated with lung damage in AATD patients.

Levels of the enzyme proteinase 3 were significantly higher in patients with AATD, and the study found a link between elevated enzyme levels and blood vessel stiffness, and thus CVD risk. The research team believes that the proteinase-3 enzyme may have a more direct effect on the development of heart and lung disease through the destruction of large arteries and the supporting fibers of the lungs, and that proteinase-3 inhibitors may be particularly effective in reducing cardiovascular disease. We believe this may be a new treatment for prevention. In AATD patients.

Louise Crowley, clinical research fellow and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Birmingham and corresponding author of the paper, said:

“The role of proteinase-3 serves as a powerful link between lung and heart disease. Blocking this enzyme’s ability to attack elastin fibers in the lungs and major arteries can improve lung health. It has been suggested that it may have a dual effect in slowing down both cardiovascular and cardiovascular disease. ”