The Coexistence of Heart and Lung Diseases in Patients with Chronic Dyspnoea that is Unexplained By Clinical Evaluation

Objective: An understanding of the causes of dyspnoea can reduce morbidity and mortality. It may be difficult to decide whether dyspnoea is secondary to heart or lung disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the coexistence of heart and lung diseases in patients with chronic dyspnoea, when clinical evaluation was not helpful. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 250 patients with chronic dyspnoea ( 1 month). Patients were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: patients presented with a complaint of chronic dyspnoea; clinical evaluation was not sufficient; and both spirometry and TTE had been performed within 1 month. Results: Eighty-three percent of the patients had a diagnosis of heart and/or lung diseases. Ninety-five (38%) of the 250 patients with chronic dyspnoea had lung and heart diseases concomitantly. Diastolic heart failure was the most common heart disease seen with COPD or asthma. The most common lung diseases were COPD and asthma. One hundred and fifty-five of the patients had a heart disease, with diastolic heart failure being the most common. Conclusion: When it was unclear whether the chronic dyspnoea was of a heart and/or lung origin based on clinical evaluation, more than one-third of the patients with chronic dyspnoea were shown to have coexisting lung and heart disease.