Cardiopulmonary axis and cardiovascular mortality in patients with COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of mor-tality in our environment and was usually considered to be confined to the lung territory. The latest studies suggest that it is a systemic disease whose most probable etiopathogenesis is a state of low-intensity chronic inflammation that worsens during exacerbations. And recent scientific evidence has highlighted that cardiovascular diseases are one of the main causes of hospitalization and mortality in these patients. This relationship must be understood conside-ring that both systems, the pulmonary and the cardiovascular, are closely related constituting the cardiopulmonary axis. Therefore, the therapeutic approach to COPD should not only include the treatment of respiratory complications, but also the prevention and treatment of cardio-vascular diseases, which are very common in these patients. In this sense, in the last years, studies have been carried out that analyze the effect of the different types of inhaled therapy on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in particular.(c) 2023 Sociedad Espanola de Medicos de Atencion Primaria (SEMERGEN). Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.