Sputum colour as a marker for bacteria in acute exacerbations of COPD: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of years of life lost globally. Acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) drive disease progression, reduce quality of life and are a source of mortality in COPD. Approximately 50% of AECOPD are due to bacterial infections. Diagnosing bacterial infection as the aetiology of AECOPD however remains challenging as investigations are limited by practicality, accuracy and expense. Clinicians have traditionally used sputum colour as a marker of bacterial infection in AECOPD, despite the lack of high-quality evidence for this practice. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of sputum colour in the diagnosis of bacterial causes of AECOPD.

Methods

Articles will be

SUBMITTER: Spies R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8317370 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature