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Background: Due to overlapping symptoms and inadequate exercise capacity, noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) may be under- or overestimated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)., Objective: To assess outcomes of coronary angiography in COPD patients depending on baseline clinical characteristics., Methods: Medical records of 157 patients with COPD and 157 patients without COPD matched for baseline clinical characteristics who had undergone diagnostic coronary angiography for the first time were reviewed retrospectively., Results: The frequency of significant CAD was significantly lower in COPD patients than in the control group (52.8% vs. 80.2%, p<0.001). Frequencies of CAD risk factors (older age, hypertension, diabetes, smoking history) were significantly more frequent among COPD patients having significant CAD. Among patients reporting stable angina pectoris, significant CAD was detected in 32.7% of COPD patients and 71.0% of non-COPD patients (p<0.001). However, among the patients with a diagnosis of unstable angina pectoris, significant CAD was detected in 87.5% of COPD patients and 90.2% of non-COPD patients (p=0.755)., Conclusion: Diagnosis of CAD in COPD patients by symptomatology may be difficult. However, clinical diagnosis of CAD in the setting of unstable angina is accurate in most of the COPD patients. Therefore, further noninvasive diagnostic methods or careful follow up may be more appropriate for COPD patients reporting stable angina pectoris.

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with increased cardiac risk factor in several conditions. The iron status of an individual may play an important role in cardiovascular health., Objective: To evaluate heart rate variability in patients with iron deficiency anemia., Methods: Twenty-three patients with iron deficiency anemia (mean hemoglobin (Hb) 8.6+/-2.2 g/dl) and 10 healthy people (mean Hb 13.9+/-1.2 g/dl) were assessed with 24-hour ambulatory Holter recordings during in hospital course having limited physical activity., Results: Although mean heart rate was significantly higher in patients with anemia, there was no significant difference regarding HRV parameters compared to the healthy group., Conclusion: There was no significant difference in HRV parameters between patients with iron deficiency anemia with limited physical activity and healthy ambulatory people.