DOI: 10.36347sjams.2017.v05i10.088

Pages: 4257-4266

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the fourth leading cause of death in the world, is a common preventable and treatable disease. Weight loss being the most common extra pulmonary manifestation in COPD, with increased inflammatory markers like CRP with disease progression. We aimed at correlating these with severity of COPD. To study the BMI (Body mass index), Oxygen Saturation and CRP(C reactive protein) levels in COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) patients and correlate these with regards to severity of COPD. This will be useful in the prognosis and the management of COPD. A total of 339 adult patients of COPD diagnosed on the basis of history, clinical examination and investigations attending pulmonary medicine department at GGCH/GMC, Hyderabad went through investigations like CBP, CXR PA, sputum for AFB, ECG, CRP, O2 saturation and spirometry. In these patients TB, HIV, MALIGNANCY was excluded. These patients were graded according to GOLD 2016 guidelines into mild, moderate, severe and very severe and were correlated with their BMI, O2 saturation and CRP levels respectively. Of these 339 patients 12.09% were mild, 32.74% moderate, 43.36% severe and 11.79% very severe COPD. In the present study, the overall prevalence of under nutrition among COPD patients was around 55%. And, with increasing COPD grade, the BMI and mean SpO2 values decreased in progressive manner. Also the increase in CRP value correlates with the increase in severity of the COPD, suggesting the fact that COPD is a systemic inflammatory disease which primarily affects the lungs.