Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory disorder of the airways. An important element of COPD assessment is the evaluation of immune mechanisms involved in non-specific and specific response to ongoing inflammation. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the level of selected inflammatory and immunological parameters in patients with COPD, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and circulating immune complexes (CIC), as well as CRP/CIC index. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 49 patients with obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD, asthma, and asthma-COPD overlap syndrome) hospitalised in the Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Pulmonology Centre in Bydgoszcz. Patients with COPD were divided into two subgroups, taking into account the severity of the disease according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD; stages B and D). The control group consisted of 30 healthy persons. Levels of CIC were determined by the method of Hasková, and the concentration of CRP in serum by the standard immunoturbidimetric method. RESULTS: The median values of examined parameters (neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio - NLR, platelet/lymphocyte ratio - PLR, CRP, CIC, and CRP/CIC index) were significantly higher among patients with obstructive diseases than in the control group. A tendency towards higher lymphocyte count, CRP, and CRP/CIC index in COPD stage D, compared to stage B, was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, we suggest that the role of non-specific inflammatory mechanisms may increase in more advanced COPD stages (D), compared to less advanced stages (B).