Relationships between Ischemic Heart Disease and Chronic Diffuse Pulmonary Disease

¹ Professor of Medicine, S. N. Medical College, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
² Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto and Physician in Charge, Respiratory Research Laboratory, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The electrocardiograms of 389 patients over the age of 40 years have been examined to determine the prevalence of myocardial ischemia and myocardial infarction in relationship to chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma and pulmonary fibrosis, and to abnormalities of pulmonary function. Chronic diffuse pulmonary disease was present in 322 patients, and in 67 (control group) there was either local pulmonary disease or no significant pulmonary abnormality. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of "ischemic changes" or myocardial infarction when the chronic chest disease group were compared with the control group. Sub-division of the chronic chest disease group into smaller groups with more precise diagnoses did not change this finding. However, patients with carbon dioxide retention had a significantly higher prevalence of ischemic changes on the electrocardiogram than those with normal pulmonary function. There was no relationship between the prevalence of myocardial infarction and abnormality of pulmonary function. The results suggest that patients with chronic diffuse pulmonary disease have neither a higher nor lower prevalence of myocardial infarction when compared with individuals with localized chest disease or no significant chest abnormality.