THE ROLE OF SOME INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS IN ASSESSING THE SEVERITY AND COURSE OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease with pulmonary and extrapulmonary involvement. The inflammatory process plays a role in the pathogenesis of COPD. Inflammation is local and systemic, involving many inflammatory biomarkers, mediators and cytokines. Objective: To determine the relationship between the severity and course of COPD with the levels of some inflammatory biomarkers. Materials and methods: Retrospective study in 85 outpatients with COPD for a six-month period in 2023. Patients were stratified by disease severity according to GOLD 2019 criteria. COPD exacerbations in the previous year were tracked. The levels of the main markers of inflammation in COPD - leukocytes, neutrophils, CRP and uric acid were studied, and those that were less frequently monitored in medical practice - IL-6, IL-8 and vitamin D. We studied their relationship with the severity and the course of the disease. The survey data were processed using STATGRAPHICS PLUS and EXCELL for Windows. Results: We established: positive correlations between: the severity of COPD and high values of leukocytes (p=0.002) and uric acid (Pearsson p<0.05); exacerbations and high leukocyte values (p=0.01); the higher point score of CAT and high values of leukocytes ( p=0.008 ) and IL p<0.05); leukocyte levels and mMRC score (p=0.0005), there is a negative correlation between vitamin D and mMRC ( p=0.02 ). Conclusion: Elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers are associated with systemic inflammation in COPD, but there is no proven specific biomarker for the severity and course of the disease.