Background: This study aims to explore the factors influencing the coagulation function of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its effects on thrombosis.
Methods: A total of 155 COPD patients, including 118 patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) and 37 patients with stable COPD (SCOPD), were enrolled in this study. Meanwhile, 50 patients with gastrointestinal polyps found during physical examination and treated with surgery in the same period were enrolled as the control group. The basic data, routine blood tests, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and coagulation indexes of the three groups were collected, as well as arterial blood gas indexes of AECOPD patients.
Results: The differences in erythrocyte count and hemoglobin among groups were not statistically significant. Compared with the SCOPD group and control group, white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil percentage, PCT, CRP, prothrombin time (PT), and fibrinogen (FIB) in the AECOPD group increased significantly, while the international normalized ratio (INR) decreased (P < 0.05). The differences in activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and D-dimer among groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Thrombin time (TT) in the AECOPD group was shorter than that of the control group, and PT was longer than that of the SCOPD group (P < 0.05). Five patients with AECOPD and one patient with SCOPD had venous thrombosis.
Conclusion: The abnormal coagulation function in AECOPD patients is related to the degree of infection and hypercapnia, which may be a risk factor for thrombosis.
Keywords: acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, AECOPD, abnormal coagulation function, infection, thrombosis