The effect of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in patients with COPD in Sohag University Hospital

NLR has also been evaluated as diagnostic and prognostic marker in COPD. Chronic inflammation in COPD resulting in the recruitment of the lymphocytes and neutrophils. Which, once activated, release neutrophil elastase, cathepsin G, proteinase-3, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8 and MMP-9, and myeloperoxidase (MPO), which contribute in the pathophysiological mechanisms of emphysema and COPD.


Aim of study
Evaluate the NLR as a biomarker that can detect the severity and duration of COPD in patients with acute exacerbation and frequency of future exacerbation; we thus monitored NLR in COPD to evaluate it as a biomarker in patients and investigated its association with a variety of clinical aspects of COPD.


Methodology
It was a prospective observational study that was carried out among COPD patients with acute exacerbation and asymptomatic persons (controls). The study included 67 participants, 38 cases were COPD patients while 39 cases were healthy controls who were older than 40 years. The study was conducted among patients who admitted to chest department of Sohag University Hospital during period between February 2019 to January 2020, after the approval of the ethical committee and written consents where taken from the participants. Patients were diagnosed to have COPD according to the GOLD. The following laboratory investigations were done: complete blood count (CBC) inflammatory markers as neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), were evaluated.


Results
The mean age of the studied COPD cases was 63.5(7.8) years and the mean age of the controls was 60(6.5) years. All the studied COPD cases and the matched controls were males. Compared to controls the levels of neutrophil, lymphocyte, basophil, eosinophil, NRL and platelet were significantly higher among the studied COPD cases. There was significant positive correlation between levels of leucocytes, neutrophils and NLR and duration of exacerbation. While, lymphocytes level was inversely associated with duration of exacerbation.


Conclusions
The present study demonstrates that NLR is associated with mortality and duration exacerbations, in COPD patients. For predicting exacerbations, we estimated the threshold of NLR to be 1.3 at baseline.