Association Between Thyroid Function and Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Endocrinology
• Internal Medicine

Background:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading global cause of mortality.
• Thyroid dysfunction frequently coexists with COPD but is often overlooked clinically.
• Understanding the relationship between thyroid function and COPD exacerbations is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively analyze serum thyroid hormone levels in patients experiencing acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD).
• To investigate the association between thyroid function and the severity of AECOPD.
• To identify risk factors for thyroid dysfunction in AECOPD patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized for AECOPD between January 2018 and September 2020.
• Classification of patients into moderate-to-severe and very severe groups based on lung function.
• Categorization into normal and abnormal thyroid function groups based on serum thyroid hormone levels.
• Comparison of clinical and laboratory data between groups to identify risk factors.

Main Results:

• The moderate-to-severe group showed higher triglyceride, HDL, PaCO2, and TSH levels compared to the very severe group.
• FEV1%pred positively correlated with TSH and FT3, while hospitalization duration negatively correlated with TSH.
• Approximately 27% of AECOPD patients exhibited abnormal thyroid function.
• Higher FVC was associated with a lower risk of thyroid dysfunction in AECOPD patients.

Conclusions:

• Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in AECOPD patients are associated with lung function and hospitalization duration.
• Elevated forced vital capacity (FVC) is a protective factor against thyroid dysfunction in the context of AECOPD.
• Clinical attention to thyroid function in AECOPD patients is warranted.