An Investigation of the Effect of Anemia on Prognosis in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Aim: The majority of healthcare facility admissions in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are attributable to exacerbations, known to negatively impact prognosis. This study aims to examine the relationship between anemia in COPD patients and the frequency of exacerbations, and consequently, its effect on prognosis. Material and Method: Twenty-nine anemic, 30 normocytic, and 28 polycythemic patients diagnosed with COPD were enrolled and evaluated based on their Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second (FEV1) values, symptoms, exercise ability, and number of exacerbations. At one-year follow-up appointments, the history of emergency department visits, outpatient clinic visits, intensive care admissions, and hospitalizations requiring respiratory support during the year were recorded for patients. Results: Similar to other research on anemia in COPD, the anemia seen in the current study was most typically consistent with chronic disease anemia. When the anemic group was compared with the normostemic and polycystic groups with regard to the frequency of exacerbations, both the count of emergency department visits and hospitalizations requiring intensive care were found to be statistically meaningfully higher in the anemic group compared to the non-anemics. Conclusion: The results obtained in the present study show that anemia in COPD is associated with increased hospital admissions and exacerbations. Given that increased exacerbation frequency is a known poor prognostic factor, it can be inferred that anemia, by increasing exacerbation frequency, contributes to poor prognosis.