Eosinophilic phenotype was associated with better clinical remission in
elderly but not middle-aged patients with acute exacerbations of COPD
Abstract
Background: There is limited evidence of the relationship between
peripheral blood eosinophilia and clinical remission of acute
exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) at
different ages, especially in elderly patients, which was the objective
of the present study. Methods: This retrospective study stratified
patients by age (>65 or ≤65 years) and analyzed the
relationship between blood eosinophilia (≥2% or <2%) and
AECOPD clinical remission at observing time points of 7, 10, 14, 21, and
28 days. Results: Of 703 AECOPD cases analyzed, 616 were elderly
(>65 years), 272 of whom had eosinophilic exacerbations.
There were statistically significant differences in leukocyte count,
high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (hs-CRP), and overall and
daily hospital costs between eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic AECOPD
patients (p<0.05, respectively). In the overall analysis,
eosinophilic exacerbation was significantly associated with a higher
remission rate at 7 (hazard ratio [HR]=1.457 [1.072, 1.982]), 10
(HR=1.316 [1.108, 1.562]), 14 (HR=1.334 [1.102, 1.615]), 21
(HR=1.326 [1.125, 1.562]), and 28 days (HR=1.254[1.078, 1.459]).
The subgroup analysis showed that eosinophilic exacerbation yielded
better clinical remission than non-eosinophilic exacerbation in elderly
patients (>65 years old) at 7 (HR=1.521 [1.084,
2.136]), 10 (HR=1.319 [1.096, 1.588]), 14 (HR=1.374 [1.118,
1.689]), 21 (HR=1.326 [1.112, 1.582]), and 28 days (HR=1.234
[1.049, 1.451]), while no differences were observed in middle-aged
patients (between 45 and 65 years) at all time points (all
p>0.05). Conclusion: The eosinophilic phenotype was
associated with better clinical remission at 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 days
among elderly but not in middle-aged patients with AECOPD.