Relationship between complete blood count indices with the severity of disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

 Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the common and increasing causes of mortality and morbidity. Considering the inflammatory nature and the known complications of this disease, in the present study the relationship between complete blood count (CBC) parameters and disease severity has been investigated. Materials and Methods: In the present study, 48 COPD patients and 48 healthy individuals underwent spirometry with or without bronchodilator. For CBC, fasting blood samples were obtained from all the participants. Results and supplementary information were recorded in questionnaires. Results: White blood cell (WBC) counts were significantly higher in COPD patients compared to the control group (P=0.012). However, there was no significant difference between low and high stages of the disease (P=0.449). Absolute and relative neutrophils counts were also significantly higher in COPD patients than the control group (P=0.005 and P=0.035, respectively). In high stages of COPD, relative neutrophils count was significantly higher compared to that of the low stages (P=0.004). Our results showed no significant differences in platelets, hemoglobin and mean platelet volume (MPV) between COPD patients and control group and also between the different stages of COPD. Conclusion: In the present study, we observed higher WBC and absolute and relative neutrophils counts in COPD patients compared to the control, which is consistent with the inflammatory nature of the disease. Furthermore, relative neutrophils count was related to COPD severity