Evaluation of atopy in patients with COPD

• Autor(a) principal: Neves,Margarida Celia Lima Costa
• Data de Publicação: 2013
• Outros Autores: Neves,Yuri Costa Sarno, Mendes,Carlos Mauricio Cardeal, Bastos,Monalisa Nobre, Camelier,Aquiles Assuncao, Queiroz,Cleriston Farias, Mendoza,Bernardo Fonseca, Lemos,Antonio Carlos Moreira, Junior,Argemiro D'Oliveira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1806-37132013000300296
• topic: Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; Allergy and immunology; Nasal lavage fluid; Asthma; Rhinitis, allergic, perennial

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of atopy and to evaluate clinical, laboratory, and radiological profiles in patients with COPD. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving outpatients with stable COPD (defined by the clinical history and a post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC < 70% of the predicted value). The patients completed a questionnaire regarding clinical characteristics and atopy, after which they underwent nasal lavage cytology, skin prick testing, chest X-rays, arterial blood gas analyses, and determination of total serum IgE. RESULTS: Of the 149 subjects studied, 53 (35.6%), 49 (32.8%), and 88 (59.1%) presented with nasal eosinophilia, a positive skin prick test result, and symptoms of allergic rhinitis, respectively. Correspondence analysis confirmed these findings, showing two distinct patterns of disease expression: atopy in patients with COPD that was less severe; and no evidence of atopy in those with COPD that was more severe (reduced FEV1 and hyperinflation). There was a statistically significant association between nasal eosinophilia and a positive bronchodilator response. CONCLUSIONS: Using simple and reproducible methods, we were able to show that there is a high frequency of atopy in patients with COPD. Monitoring inflammation in the upper airways can be a useful tool for evaluating respiratory diseases in the elderly and in those with concomitant asthma and COPD, a clinical entity not yet fully understood.