Facteurs de risque de la maladie cardiovasculaire chez les patients atteints d'une maladie pulmonaire obstructive chronique

by Marquis, Karine

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is frequently associated with comorbidities leading to cardiovascular diseases. Of note, cardiovascular diseases are one of the three most important causes of mortality in patients with COPD. However, the mechanisms responsible for cardiovascular diseases in COPD patients remain largely spéculative. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, mainly the metabolic syndrome and arterial hypertension, in COPD patients. Firstly, we showed that the metabolic syndrome is encountered more often in COPD patients compare to control subjects and we observed that a large proportion of COPD patients presented high blood pressure. To confirm thèse results, we undertook a study comparing the increase in blood pressure during exercise between COPD patients and control subjects. The results of this study showed that blood pressure increases quickly at low levels of exercise in patients with COPD compared to subjects without respiratory diseases. Consequently, we undertook two others studies. The first was a clinical trial evaluating the effects of aérobic exercise training alone or with an antihypertensive médication (Irbesartan) on blood pressure and heart rate variability in patients with