RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The role of inflamatory markers in obstructive pulmonary disease
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P3701
VO 40
IS Suppl 56
A1 Biljana Lazovic
A1 Nada Bogdanovic
YR 2012
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P3701.abstract
AB BACKGROUND: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are characterised by airway and systemic inflammation, but little is known about differences and similarities in inflammatory markers in patients with obstructive airways disease.METHODS: In 320 adult outpatients serum level of leucocytes, neutorcytes, blood eosinophils, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fibrinogen were measured.RESULTS: hs-CRP levels were increased in COPD patients as well as fibrinogen (p<0.01, p =0.03 respectively), whereas eosinophils were increased in patients with asthma (p=0.04). There was no difference in leucocytes, neutorcytes. In the ROC analysis, hs-CRP and fibrinogen had the largest area under the curve (AUC=0.651; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.552 to 0.749), with a specifity of 83% and a sensitivity of 42% for the diagnosis of COPD. Serum levels of fibrinogen correlated with the number of smoking pack-years (r=0.218, p=0.001) and inversely with lung function parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of serum hs-CRP, fibrinogen, blood eosinophils, could identify distinct aspects of local and systemic inflammation in patients with obstructive airways disease. This might help to differentiate between asthma and COPD in primary care patients when spirometry is not available.