Tuberc Respir Dis.  1999 Nov;47(5):609-617.

Etiologies and prognostic factors of chronic cor pulmonale

• Park YI
• Kim SH
• Ha JK
• Kim SH
• An BJ
• Bae WH
• Lee HG
• Chun KJ
• Hong TJ
• Park SK
• Shin YW

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to assess the etiologies, survival and prognositic factors of patients with chronic cor pulmonale visited Pusan National University Hospital.
METHODS
This study included 103 patients with chronic cor pulmonale. There were 67 men and 36 women. The diagnosis of chronic cor pulmonale was primarily based on the presence of underlying lung disorder and echocardiographic finding of enlarged or hypertrophied right ventricle. Other clinical data including patients' symptoms and signs, findings of arterial blood gas analysis, hematologic and biochemical laboratory and pulmonary function test were assessed.
RESULTS
The most common underlying lung disorder was pulmonary tuberculosis (59.2%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was the next (28.2%). The survival rate was 57% in one year, 45% in two years, and 34% in three years. The prognostic factors were maximal voluntary ventilation(MVV), forced vital capacity(FVC), FEV1, serum Na, vital capacity(VC), serum albumin and peak expiratory flow(PEF) in univariate analysis. And in multivariate analysis, serum albumin(p=0.0144) and VC(p=0.0078) were statistically significant.
CONCLUSION
Pulmonary tuberculosis was the most important underlying lung disorder in chronic cor pulmonale. The survival rate was 57% in one year, 45% in two years, and 34% in three years. Serum albumin(p=0.0144) and VC(p=0.0078) were statistically significant prognostic factors.

MeSH Terms

Blood Gas Analysis
Busan
Diagnosis
Echocardiography
Female
Heart Ventricles
Humans
Lung
Male
Multivariate Analysis
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Heart Disease*
Respiratory Function Tests
Serum Albumin
Survival Rate
Tuberculosis, Pulmonary
Serum Albumin