Prevalence of anemia and its impact on mortality in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a developing country setting

Abstract

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is going to be the third most common cause of death worldwide. The natural course of COPD is interrupted by acute exacerbations (AECOPD) with an overall mortality rate of 10%. Anemia is a well-known independent predictor of mortality in several chronic diseases. Little is known about the impact of anemia on mortality in AECOPD. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of anemia in AECOPD patients and its impact on mortality in a developing country setting. We retrospectively studied 200 hospitalized patients with AECOPD (100 died in hospital and 100 survived) in Imam Khomeini teaching hospital, Urmia, Iran. Prevalence of anemia between deceased and surviving patients compared by using x-square test. Mean admission day Hb and Hct level were compared between the two groups by using Student t-test. Anemia was defined according to WHO criteria: Hb<13 g/dl in males; Hb<12 g/dl in females. The prevalence of anemia was significantly higher in patients who died in hospital compared to those who survived (72% vs. 49%, p=0.001 and OR=2.68). The mean ±SD Hb level was 11.5±2.7 g/dl among deceased patients vs. 13.0±2.0 g/dl among survivors (p value<0.001). The duration of hospitalization was significantly higher (p<0,001) in anemic patients (mean 13.28 days in anemic vs. 7.0 days in non-anemic patients). In bivariate correlation analysis, Hb was positively correlated with FEV1 (r=+0.210, p=0.011) and negatively with duration of hospitalization (r=-0.389, p=0.000). Anemia was common in AECOPD patients in this developing country setting and was significantly associated with in hospital mortality.