Objective: To explore the role of platelet factor 4 (PF4) and β-thromboglobulin (β-TG) in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).
Methods: A total of 71 AECOPD patients and 50 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients within a stable stage were admitted into Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from January 2008 to June 2010. And another 40 healthy volunteers were selected as control group. The data of demographics, arterial blood gas analysis and pulmonary function parameters was collected and analyzed. The plasma levels of PF4 and β-TG were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Platelet count was measured by hematology analyzer. Statistical analysis was used for PF4, β-TG and platelet count. Spearman rank correlation was used for correlation analysis.
Results: No differences in age and gender existed among the AECOPD, stable and control groups. The plasma level of PF4 in the AECOPD group (2.28 µg/L) was significantly higher than that of the stable group (2.01 µg/L) and control group (1.57 µg/L) (both P < 0.05). The level of β-TG in AECOPD was 2.32 µg/L and it was significantly higher than that of the stable group (1.85 µg/L) and control group (1.29 µg/L) (both P < 0.05). The differences in platelet counts were insignificant between the AEC OPD group ((196 ± 67) ×10(9)/L), stable group ((194 ± 50) ×10(9)/L) and control group ((190 ± 48) ×10(9)/L). AECOPD group was divided into moderate, severe and very severe groups by pulmonary function parameters. The levels of PF4 and β-TG in very severe group were significantly higher than those in moderate and severe groups (P < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was observed between PF4 and β-TG (r = 0.518, P < 0.01). The levels of PF4 and β-TG were negatively correlated with FEV1%, FEV1/FVC and PaO2 (all P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Abnormal platelet activation exists in AECOPD. And the levels of PF4 and β-TG may reflect the severity of AECOPD and can be used as the markers of estimating prethrombotic state.