Atherosclerosis In COPDThey don't listen to logic. IE: Increased breath with bloodletting.
Maybe they'll listen to Science.
This would be the .. rationale ..
Increased Arterial Stiffness Common in COPD Patients
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Apr 23 - Chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) is associated with increased arterial stiffness and
elevated blood pressure, which may explain the excess cardiovascular
morbidity and mortality in this patient population, note researchers
from the UK in the April issue of the journal Thorax.
The reasons why patients with COPD are at high risk of having a heart
attack or stroke compared to the general population "are not clear,"
Dr. Joy J. Miller, from Borders General Hospital and the University of
Edinburgh, noted in comments to Reuters Health.
She and her colleagues measured blood pressure and blood vessel
stiffness in 102 COPD patients and 103 carefully matched healthy
persons with similar smoking histories and found that COPD patients
had stiffer blood vessels and higher blood pressures than controls.
"This suggests that COPD is not simply a disease of the lungs but
involves other systems including the heart and vasculature," Dr.
Miller said.
Compared to healthy controls, COPD patients had elevated augmentation
pressure (p =3D 0.005) and a reduced time to wave reflection (p =3D 0.004)
and these differences were associated with increases in both diastolic
(p =3D 0.005) and systolic (p < 0.001) blood pressure.
Moreover, serum C-reactive protein levels were threefold higher in
COPD patients than in control patients.
Dr. Miller noted that "two thirds of our COPD patients had high blood
pressure, and the majority of them were not on any treatment for this.
Our study highlights the need for careful assessment of cardiovascular
risk in COPD patients."
"The use of simple effective treatments to lower blood pressure has
the potential to prevent excess heart attacks and strokes in COPD
patients," she concluded.
Thorax 2008;63:306-311.
---------------------------
Blood donation, body iron status and carotid intima-media thickness
Author(s): Engberink, M.F.; Geleijnse, J.M.; Durga, J.; Swinkels,
D.W.; Kort, W.L.A.M. de; Schouten, E.G.; Verhoef, P.
Source: Atherosclerosis 196 (2008)2. - ISSN 0021-9150 - p. 856 - 862.
Department(s): Afdeling Humane voeding (Division of Human Nutrition)
Research programme(s): Graduate School VLAG (2004 - 2010 )
Subtheme: =E2=90=96D. Nutrition, metabolism and health
Type of publication: Article in refereed journal
Year of publication: 2008
Abstract:
Iron could promote free radical formation, which may lead to injury
of
the arterial wall and atherosclerosis.
Blood donation may reduce cardiovascular risk by lowering body iron
status.
We collected data on blood donation history and intima-media
thickness
of the common carotid artery (CIMT) in 819 subjects (50-70 years),
who
were recruited from municipal and blood bank registries in The
Netherlands.
Serum iron parameters were assessed, including non-transferrin bound
iron (NTBI) that has recently been found in conditions of iron
overload.
Serum ferritin was lower in current donors (n=3D443; 44mug/L) than in
ex-
donors (n=3D120; 114mug/L) and never-donors (n=3D256; 124mug/L, P for
trend <0.001).
For NTBI, values were 2.33, 2.54, and 2.51mumol/L, respectively
(P<0.05). CIMT was slightly reduced in frequent donors (i.e., >/=3D49
times during life or >/=3D2 times per year), although not statistically
significant.
CIMT was not significantly related to NTBI.
Frequent blood donation, resulting in lowered body iron, might give
some protection against accelerated atherosclerosis.
Who loves ya.
Tom
Jesus Was A Vegetarian!
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