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The following is a summary of “Orthostatic blood pressure reactions and resting heart rate in relation to lung function – the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS),” published in the November 2024 issue of Pulmonology by Casselbrant et al. 

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) share common risk factors and markers of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction (CVAD) were linked to CAD, while the relationship between CVAD and impaired respiratory capacity has been known to be less clear.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the connection between markers of subtle CVAD and lung function in middle-aged subjects.   

They analyzed data from CVAD assessments, including orthostatic blood pressure and heart rate measurements, along with pulmonary function tests from 5,886 middle-aged individuals randomly selected from the Swedish population in the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS). The linear regression models and ANOVA analyses were applied to examine the relationship between orthostatic blood pressure, resting heart rate, and lung function parameters, including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), FEV ₁ /FVC ratio, diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (D_LCO), respiratory resistance at 5 Hz (R5), respiratory resistance at 20 Hz (R20), decrease in resistance from R5 to R20 (R5-R20), reactance in distal airways (X5), resonant frequency (Fres), and reactance area (AX).   

The results showed higher systolic orthostatic blood pressure, lower diastolic orthostatic blood pressure, and increased resting heart rate were linked to lower FVC (all P < 0.001) , FEV₁ (P = 0.001; P = 0.005; P < 0.001, respectively) in models adjusting for age, sex, and height. After adjusting for potential confounders, all relationships remained significant except for diastolic orthostatic blood pressure and FEV₁. An Increased resting heart rate was associated with decreased diffusion capacity for D_LCO (P < 0.001).  

Investigators concluded that increasing systolic orthostatic blood pressure, decreasing diastolic orthostatic blood pressure, and higher resting heart rate were associated with reduced lung function after adjusting for age, sex, and height, indicating links between cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction and lower lung function in the general population, though the observed differences were minor and the clinical relevance remains uncertain. 

Source: bmcpulmmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12890-024-03398-8