Blood Test May Flag Impending COPD Flares (CME/CE)

Blood Test May Flag Impending COPD Flares (CME/CE)

Easily measured biomarkers of inflammation could give advance warning of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, researchers said.

When COPD patients in a prospective Danish study had high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum fibrinogen, and leukocyte count, their risk of experiencing a disease flare during the following year was increased by a factor of 2.5 (95% CI 1.8-3.4) compared with patients who did not have high values for any of these measures, according to Børge Nordestgaard, DMSc, of Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues.