Relationship between biomarkers and findings on low-dose computed tomography in hospitalised patients with acute exacerbation of COPD.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) and community acquired pneumonia (CAP) often coexist. Although chest radiographs may differentiate between these diagnoses, chest radiography is known to underestimate the incidence of CAP in AECOPD. In this exploratory study, we prospectively investigated the incidence of infiltrative changes using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). Additionally, we investigated whether clinical biomarkers of CAP differed between patients with and without infiltrative changes.

Methods

Patients with AECOPD in which pneumonia was excluded using chest radiography underwent additional LDCT-thorax. The images were read independently by two radiologists; a third radiologist was consulted as adjudicator. C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT

SUBMITTER: Prins HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9209851 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature