High eosinophil blood counts are associated with a shorter length of hospital stay in exacerbated COPD patients - a retrospective analysis.
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:In COPD, the course of the disease including morbidity and mortality is strongly associated with severe exacerbations. The current GOLD recommendations emphasize blood eosinophil counts as a marker for responsiveness to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Retrospective analyses from randomized clinical trials indicate a favorable response to systemic corticosteroids in exacerbated COPD patients with blood eosinophils >?2%, however data outside clinical trials are scarce. PATIENTS AND METHODS:We retrospectively evaluated data from 1007 cases of patients who were admitted to the University Medical Center Marburg between 01/2013 and 12/2018. All patients had been diagnosed with an acute exacerbation of COPD (ICD-10?J44.0/J44.1). Our analysis was based on a subgroup of 417 patients in whom a full blood cell count was obtained at the day of admission. Patients were predominantly male (63.3%), had a median age of 74 years (IQR 65 years - 83 years) and a median FEV1 of 1.03 l (42.6% predicted). We compared the hospital length of stay and other outcome parameters using established thresholds for the eosinophil blood cell count (100 and 300 eosinophils/?l and 2%). RESULTS:Patients with low eosinophils (?300/?l: 7?days). The median CRP was higher in patients with low eosinophils as compared to the other groups (?300: 7.1?mg/dl). Time to re-hospitalization or time to death did not differ between strata of eosinophils. Sensitivity analysis in a subgroup of patients in which pneumonia was excluded by chest x-ray did not significantly alter the results. CONCLUSION:The results support the hypothesis that patients with severe COPD exacerbations and elevated blood eosinophil counts respond better to systemic corticosteroid treatment than patients with a non-eosinophilic exacerbation.
SUBMITTER: Greulich T
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7204070 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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