الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Background: Over the past few years, the understanding of COPD has evolved from it being a disease affecting the lungs to it being a complex, heterogeneous, and generalized disease; with evidence of systemic inflammation. Fibrinogen is associated with a risk of hyper-coagulable state that may lead to coronary heart disease, stroke, vascular and non-vascular mortality. Therefore it has emerged as a promising biomarker in COPD. Objectives: The study aimed to measure the serum fibrinogen level in COPD and to compare the fibrinogen levels in COPD exacerbation patients with stable COPD individuals and healthy non-smokers. Methods: Spirometric measurement and measurement of Plasma Fibrinogen was performed on 60 patients (20 COPD patients with exacerbation; 20 stable COPD patients and 20 healthy non-smokers). Results: Raised plasma fibrinogen levels were observed in COPD patients when compared to healthy non-smokers. Among the COPD patients, fibrinogen levels were higher in exacerbation individuals when compared to stable COPD individuals. Conclusion: Plasma fibrinogen is a useful marker to monitor the risk of systemic complications. |