Pulmonary hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Pulmonary hyperinflation, gas trapping and "disproportionate" pulmonary hypertension.

慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）是澳大利亚发病率和死亡率的主要原因。肺部血压升高（肺动脉高压，PH）预示COPD患者预后较差。导致PH的机制还不完全清楚。我们的目的是确定肺过度充气在COPD PH发展中的作用。我们还旨在确定一个亚组的患者，发展严重的PH，可能会受益于特定的治疗。

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia. Raised blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension, PH) predicts a worse prognosis in patients with COPD. The mechanisms contributing to PH are incompletely understood. We aim to determine the role of lung hyperinflation in contributing to the development of PH in COPD. We also aim to identify a sub-group of patients that develop severe PH which may benefit from specific therapy.