DefinePK

Abstract

Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is currently the third leading cause of death worldwide. The current study was designed to see if fibrinogen, interleukin-6 or surfactant protein-D could be used as biomarkers to predict frequency of exacerbations within the frequent exacerbator phenotype.
Study type, settings & duration: This cross-sectional study performed at Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, The University of Lahore and Mayo Hospital, Lahore from November 2023 to October 2024.
Methodology: Blood samples were collected from 40 patients after informed consent. Simple random sampling was done. Blood sample of 5 ml was taken and centrifuged. Plasma was isolated and ELISA was performed to examine the biomarker panel. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26.0.
Results: The median±age, CAT score, fibrinogen, IL-6 and SPD were 43.4±9 years, 11.0±5.0, 308.53±215.78, 5.65±3.42 and 8.58±4.27 respectively. The frequency of exacerbations showed a strong reverse correlation with gender (r =-0.36, p =0.02) and a positive correlation with IL-6 levels (r =0.32, p =0.04) and CAT score (r =+0.44, p =0.005). Furthermore CAT score showed a positive correlation with male compared to female patients (r =0.35, p =0.03). It did not however, show a significant correlation with age, age gender, interleukin-6 or surfactant protein-D levels.
Conclusion: Results showed a positive link between smoking and disruption of the quaternary structure. There was a significant relationship between SP-D and exacerbation.