Correlation of Coagulation Dysfunction with Infection and Hypercapnia in Acute Exacerbation of COPD Patients

Abstract

Background

This study aims to explore the factors influencing the coagulation function of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its effects on thrombosis.

Methods

A total of 155 COPD patients, including 118 patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) and 37 patients with stable COPD (SCOPD), were enrolled in this study. Meanwhile, 50 patients with gastrointestinal polyps found during physical examination and treated with surgery in the same period were enrolled as the control group. The basic data, routine blood tests, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and coagulation indexes of the three groups were collected, as well as arterial blood gas indexes of AECOPD patients.

Results

The differences in erythrocyte count and hemoglobin among groups were not statistically significant. Compared with the SCOPD group and control group, white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil percentage, PCT, CRP, prothrombin time (PT), and fibrinogen (FIB) in the AECOPD group increased significantly, while the international normalized ratio (INR) decreased (P < 0.05). The differences in activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and D-dimer among groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Thrombin time (TT) in the AECOPD group was shorter than that of the control group, and PT was longer than that of the SCOPD group (P < 0.05). Five patients with AECOPD and one patient with SCOPD had venous thrombosis.

Conclusion

The abnormal coagulation function in AECOPD patients is related to the degree of infection and hypercapnia, which may be a risk factor for thrombosis.

Keywords:

• acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• AECOPD
• abnormal coagulation function
• infection
• thrombosis

Data Sharing Statement

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

This study was conducted with approval from the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This study was conducted in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the hard and dedicated work of all the staff that implemented the intervention and evaluation components of the study.

Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Regional Innovation Joint Fund (U20A20398).