Anaemia is increasingly recognised as an important
comorbidity in the context of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD), but remains undervalued in clinical practice. This review aims
to characterise the impact of anaemia and iron deficiency in COPD.
Methods
Literature
review of studies exploring the relationship between anaemia/iron
deficiency and COPD, based on targeted MEDLINE and Google Scholar
queries.
Results
The reported
prevalence of anaemia in COPD patients, ranging from 4.9% to 38.0%, has
been highly variable, due to different characteristics of study
populations and lack of a consensus on the definition of anaemia.
Inflammatory processes seem to play an important role in the development
of anaemia, but other causes (including nutritional deficiencies)
should not be excluded from consideration. Anaemia in COPD has been
associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and overall reduced
quality of life. The impact of iron deficiency, irrespective of anaemia,
is not as well studied, but it might have important implications, since
it impacts production of red blood cells and respiratory enzymes.
Treatment of anaemia/iron deficiency in COPD remains poorly studied, but
it appears reasonable to assume that COPD patients should at least
receive the same type of treatment as other patients.
Conclusions
Anaemia
and iron deficiency continue to be undervalued in most COPD clinical
settings, despite affecting up to one-third of patients and having
negative impact on prognosis. Special efforts should be made to improve
clinical management of anaemia and iron deficiency in COPD patients as a
means of achieving better patient care.
Free full text:
ReplyDeleteI started on COPD Herbal treatment from Ultimate Life Clinic, the treatment worked incredibly for my lungs condition. I used the herbal treatment for almost 4 months, it reversed my COPD. My severe shortness of breath, dry cough, chest tightness gradually disappeared. Reach Ultimate Life Clinic via their website at www.ultimatelifeclinic.com I can breath much better and It feels comfortable!