Vol. 3, Issue 11 (2015)

Author(s):
Kateryna Gashynova

Abstract:
Exacerbations of disease are recognized now to be an important predictor of the unfavorable prognosis for patients with COPD. This research aimed to identify presence and type of inflammation in patients who were hospitalized due to COPD acute exacerbation, in order to recognize factors, associated with frequent hospital admission. The retrospective analysis of 162 case histories of patients hospitalized due to COPD acute exacerbation during three years’ period was carried out. The personal files of patients with single admission (group ? – 112 persons) were separated from those who were hospitalized several times during three years’ period (group ?? – 19 persons). Anthropometric parameters, including body mass index (BMI), data of post-bronchodilators’ pulmonary function tests (FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC), whole blood count, serum total and C-reactive protein, urine tests on time of admission to the in-patient unit were studied in all patients. The vast majority of patients with COPD acute exacerbation had clinical and laboratory signs of systemic inflammation. In more than in half cases it was neutrophilic (65.18 Â± 4.50% and 57.89±11.33% in group I and II respectively), regardless the number of hospitalizations. Significantly higher C-reactive (11.51 ± 4.80 vs. 9.03 ± 3.58 mg/ml) and total (73.00 [71,00-78,00] vs 69.00 [65.00-73.00] g/l) protein and a higher percentage of patients with an increased number of eosinophils (10.53 ± 7.04% vs 0.89 ± 0.89%) was found in group of patients who were hospitalized repeatedly compared with the group of hospitalized only once. Thus, high levels of C-reactive protein, total protein and eosinophilia during exacerbations may be considered as predictors of frequent hospitalizations in patients with COPD.