Journal
CLINICAL SCIENCE
Volume 128, Issue 5, Pages 283-295Publisher
PORTLAND PRESS LTD
DOI: 10.1042/CS20140344
Keywords
aetiology; anaemia; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; epidemiology; systemic inflammation
Categories
Funding
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit at the Royal Brompton
- Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
- Imperial College
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health problem, with increasing morbidity and mortality. There is a growing literature regarding the extra-pulmonary manifestations of COPD, which can have a significant impact on symptom burden and disease progression. Anaemia is one of the more recently identified co-morbidities, with a prevalence that varies between 4.9% and 38% depending on patient characteristics and the diagnostic criteria used. Systemic inflammation seems to be an important factor for its establishment and repeated bursts of inflammatory mediators during COPD exacerbations could further inhibit erythropoiesis. However, renal impairment, malnutrition, low testosterone levels, growth hormone level abnormalities, oxygen supplementation, theophylline treatment, inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme and aging itself are additional factors that could be associated with the development of anaemia. The present review evaluates the published literature on the prevalence and significance of anaemia in COPD. Moreover, it attempts to elucidate the reasons for the high variability reported and investigates the complex pathophysiology underlying the development of anaemia in these patients.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available