TITLE:
Prevalence of Anemia in Patients with COPD and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity of COPD Patients
AUTHORS:
Shaheena Parveen, Imran Rangreze, Syed Nisar Ahmad, Showkat Ali Mufti, Shehla Shafi Khan
KEYWORDS:
COPD, Anemia
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Clinical Medicine,
Vol.5 No.8,
April
17,
2014
ABSTRACT: Background:
Although COPD is traditionally associated with polycythemia, the systemic inflammation
that is now recognized as a feature of COPD makes it a possible cause of Anemia
of Chronic Disease (ACD). Preliminary evidences suggest that anemia in COPD may
be more prevalent than expected occurring in 10% - 15% of patients. While in
states like chronic heart failure and renal insufficiency, anemia has been
extensively studied; little attention has been given to it in COPD. Objectives: To see
the prevalence of anemia in patients with COPD and its potential impact on
morbidity of COPD patients. Design and Setting: A university hospital-based cross-sectional
study in Kashmir, India. Methods: Two
hundred patients (119 males and 81 females) with spirometery documented COPD
were evaluated for frequency of anemia. In addition to routine investigations,
erythropoietin levels were done in a subgroup of patients. Results: A total of
36 cases (20 males and 16 females) of anemia were detected giving a frequency
of 18%. Normocytic normochromic type of anemia was present in 32 (88.89%)
patients while the rest had normocytic hypochromic type of anemia. Majority of
patients were in GOLD stage 11 and had decreased serum iron, transferrin
saturation and TIBC. Erythropoietin levels were significantly raised in anemic
COPD patients compared to non-anemic COPD patients. The various factors
significantly associated with anemia were: No. of exacerbations of COPD, No. of
hospital admissions, BMI and erythropoietin levels. Conclusion: Anemia
occurs frequently in patients of COPD and is associated with increased
morbidity in the form of No. of exacerbations and hospital admissions. Correcting anemia
in these patients may improve their clinical outcome.