Department of Pulmonology, Women Medical & Dental College BBS Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad-Pakistan.
Department of Physiology.
J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2024 Jan-Mar;36(1):113-118. doi: 10.55519/JAMC-01-12835.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a global health challenge with significant morbidity and mortality. Iron deficiency, including non-anaemic iron deficiency (NAID), has been identified as a potential comorbid in COPD, affecting patient outcomes and disease severity. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and impact of iron deficiency on the severity and clinical outcomes in COPD patients.
In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 289 individuals diagnosed with COPD were enrolled and underwent comprehensive medical assessments, including haematological tests and spirometry from December 2019 to December 2023. The study focused on measuring iron levels, exercise capacity, and exacerbation frequency, comparing iron-deficient and non-iron-deficient groups.
The study found that 46.7% of participants had iron deficiency. Those with iron deficiency showed significantly lower exercise capacity as measured by the six-minute walk distance and experienced a higher frequency of yearly COPD exacerbations. However, no significant differences were observed in airflow limitation and the overall quality of life between the iron-deficient and non-iron-deficient groups.
The findings suggest that iron deficiency, particularly NAID, is associated with a more severe progression of COPD, characterized by reduced exercise capacity and increased exacerbation frequency. These results highlight the importance of considering iron deficiency in the management of COPD to potentially improve patient outcomes.
慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）是一种全球性的健康挑战，具有显著的发病率和死亡率。铁缺乏症，包括非贫血性铁缺乏症（NAID），已被确定为 COPD 的一种潜在合并症，影响患者的结局和疾病严重程度。本研究旨在调查铁缺乏症在 COPD 患者中的患病率及其对疾病严重程度和临床结局的影响。
在这项描述性的横断面研究中，我们招募了 289 名被诊断为 COPD 的患者，并在 2019 年 12 月至 2023 年 12 月期间对他们进行了全面的医学评估，包括血液学检查和肺功能检查。本研究重点是测量铁水平、运动能力和加重频率，并比较缺铁组和非缺铁组。
研究发现，46.7%的参与者存在铁缺乏症。与非缺铁组相比，缺铁组的运动能力（通过 6 分钟步行距离测量）明显较低，且每年 COPD 加重的频率更高。然而，缺铁组和非缺铁组在气流受限和整体生活质量方面没有显著差异。
这些发现表明，铁缺乏症，特别是 NAID，与 COPD 的更严重进展有关，表现为运动能力下降和加重频率增加。这些结果强调了在 COPD 管理中考虑铁缺乏症的重要性，以潜在地改善患者的结局。
