Abstract
Treating patients hospitalised with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) usually involves administering systemic corticosteroids. The many unwanted side effects associated with this treatment have led to increased interest in minimising the accumulated corticosteroid dose necessary to treat exacerbations. Studies have shown that short-term treatment with corticosteroids is preferred, and recent trials have shown that biomarkers can be used to further reduce exposure to corticosteroids. Interestingly, high eosinophil counts in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD are indicative of an eosinophilic phenotype with a distinct response to treatment with corticosteroids. In addition, post-hoc analysis of randomised control trials have shown that higher blood eosinophil counts at the start of the study predict a greater response to inhaled corticosteroids in stable COPD. In this review, we examine the studies on this topic, describe how blood eosinophil cell count may be used as a biomarker to guide treatment with corticosteroids, and identify some relevant challenges.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Artikelnummer | 236 |
| Tidsskrift | Diagnostics |
| Vol/bind | 11 |
| Udgave nummer | 2 |
| ISSN | 2075-4418 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - 2021 |
Bibliografisk note
Funding Information:Funding: This research was funded by “the Danish Regions Medical Fund, grant number 5894/16” and “the Danish Council for Independent Research, grant number 6110-00268B”. The research salary of PS was sponsored by Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen. AB is supported by the NIHR Manchester BRC. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to publish the results.
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