Abstract
IntroductionSputum and blood eosinophil counts have attracted attention as potential biomarkers in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). One question regarding the use of blood eosinophils as a biomarker in COPD is whether their levels are affected by the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), which are commonly prescribed for COPD.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of peripheral blood leucocytes from a previously completed clinical trial that examined effects of ICS in steroid-naïve patients with COPD.Results and conclusionThe data show that the ICS-containing treatment arms (containing fluticasone propionate) had a small effect on peripheral blood eosinophils in steroid-naïve patients with COPD.Trial registration numberNCT00358358; Post-results.
Highlights
Sputum and blood eosinophil counts have attracted attention as potential biomarkers in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Higher sputum eosinophil counts in patients with COPD predicts clinical response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS),[1] as it does for anti-interleukin 5 (IL5) therapy in asthma.[2]
Median (IQR) changes in eosinophil count for ICS-treated patients were −30 (−90 to 10) cells/μL at RESULTS Overall, 161 persons were randomised to treatment in study SCO104925, with assigned to non-ICS-containing treatments and to ICScontaining treatments (FSC or FP)
Summary
Sputum and blood eosinophil counts have attracted attention as potential biomarkers in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Sputum and blood eosinophil counts have attracted attention as potential biomarkers. Higher sputum eosinophil counts in patients with COPD predicts clinical response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS),[1] as it does for anti-interleukin 5 (IL5) therapy in asthma.[2] Peripheral blood eosinophil count was proposed more recently as a biomarker to direct corticosteroid therapy during COPD exacerbations[3] and to select those who will benefit from medicines containing ICS.[4 5] Currently, blood eosinophil levels are being studied in clinical trials assessing the efficacy of anti-IL5 therapies such as mepolizumab (NCT02105948) and benralizumab (NCT02138916) in patients with COPD
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