Are sputum eosinophils associated with a different phenotype in COPD patients? A retrospective study

Respir Med. 2021 Dec:190:106672. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106672. Epub 2021 Oct 28.

Abstract

Sputum eosinophilia in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients seems to be associated with a better response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). To verify if this feature could identify a specific subpopulation of COPD patients, we retrospectively compared functional and inflammatory parameters of 110 COPD patients according to the presence of sputum eosinophilia (>2%). Patient with eosinophilia were characterized by lower dyspnea score, lower functional impairment and lower ICS use, suggesting that airway eosinophilia may be associated to a lower COPD severity and some functional "asthma-like" characteristics, therefore explaining the better response to ICS in this subgroup of patients.

Keywords: COPD; Eosinophilia; Severity; Sputum.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Drug Utilization / statistics & numerical data
  • Eosinophils / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Glucocorticoids / administration & dosage
  • Humans
  • Leukocyte Count*
  • Male
  • Nebulizers and Vaporizers
  • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / drug therapy
  • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / pathology*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Sputum / cytology*

Substances

  • Glucocorticoids