Study on the Role of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

BACKGROUND : Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remains the second most common disorder affecting the lungs,next only to pulmonary tuberculosis in India. Patients with COPD will experience a systemic inflammation. Recently hs-CRP measuring methods have made it possible to assess this protein even in lower levels of inflammation. AIMS OF THE STUDY : Our aim is to study the levels of hs-CRP in acute exacerbation of COPD patients and to assess the correlation of hs-CRP with the severity of the disease and also with respect to other variables such as age, sex, BMI and smoking habits. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Patients with clinically diagnosed and spirometrically confirmed cases of COPD with acute exacerbation were included in the study and classified based on GOLD staging. This was a cross sectional study, conducted in Thanjavur medical college and hospital between October 2011 and November 2012. The sample size was 70 patients. Serum hs-CRP levels were measured by nephelometry method. Those patients with serum hs-CRP levels >0.3mg/dl are considered as high risk individuals. RESULTS : The levels of hs-CRP were significantly elevated in acute exacerbation of COPD.There exists a positive correlation with severity of the disease, male COPD patients, obese individuals and smokers. There was no association of hs– CRP levels with age and duration of the disease. CONCLUSION : Serum hs-CRP levels may be used as a simple auxiliary marker in staging determining the severity and prognosis of COPD for early intervention.