Abstract
Background: Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) is an abundant neuropeptide in the lung, which has been linked to pulmonary arterial hypertension and hypoxia in COPD. We hypothesize that circulating VIP is increased at exacerbation as compared to stable COPD. Methods: In a nested cohort study, 283 patients (mean age 66.31±11.38) with GOLD II-IV (mean post BD FEV1 %pred 47.8±16.37) were examined at stable state and at exacerbation. Serum VIP level, from dedicated frozen samples was determined by ELISA. Diagnostic accuracy was analyzed by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC). Results: Patients in the stable and exacerbated groups had similar demographics, except for the BORG score (p 90%) and very high if serum VIP was ≥88pg/ml (specificity >90%). Diagnostic performance improved by using a combination of clinical and lung function variables. Conclusion: Increased serum VIP levels are associated with exacerbation of COPD.
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