Abstract
Introduction: COPD is interrupted by exacerbations which vary in severity and frequency during the course of illness.
Aim: Investigate the possible link between the etiology of respiratory infections in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD with various clinical and analytical parameters used routinely in COPD.
Methods: We included 98 consecutive patients admitted with Exacerbation of COPD over a period of 1 year. The etiology of the respiratory infection was studied by conventional sputum culture and viral diagnostic techniques (rt-PCR). Patient's clinical characteristics, hematological, biochemical tests including ABG, S.Uric acid, S.IgE were done. Patients were put into three groups based on the pathogens isolated (bacterial, viral, unknown).
Results: A pathogen was identified in 32 patients out of which bacteria was isolated in 20 patients (Acinetobacter spp (12), E.coli (6), Pseudomonas spp (2)). Viruses were detected in 12 patients (6-Adenovirus, 2-Influenza A virus and 4-Respiratory syncytial Virus). Compared with bacterial etiologies, patients with viral etiology had more severe hypoxemia, hypercarbia on ABG, greater hospital stay, higher frequency of exacerbations and lower Total Leucocyte counts(TLC), p<0 .002. Patient with known etiology had longer hospital stay, higher frequency of exacerbations and raised TLCs (p<0.01) compared with unknown etiologies.
Conclusion: Clinical and analytical parameters can be useful for the etiological identification and prognosis of COPD exacerbations. More studies are required to accurately identify analytical parameters useful to identify the etiology of new AE-COPD cases without the present diagnostic techniques.
- Copyright ©the authors 2016
