Source: International Congress 2014 – COPD: points to ponder
Disease area: Airway diseases, Respiratory infections

Abstract

COPD exacerbations are serious events in the evolution of COPD and their trigger is not known in many cases. The study aimed to identify viral infections in patients admitted for a COPD exacerbation.20 successive patients with COPD exacerbation admitted in February-March 2013 were included: mean age 65±10 years, 16 males, GOLD stages III/IV; all had hypoxemia, 12 had hypercapnia. Eight patients were frequent exacerbators, 6 received influenza vaccination. Patients requiring ICU admittance or having chest X-ray consolidations were not included. Immediately after admittance patients were sampled for viral infection using a sterile nasal swab, analyzed by PCR to identify respiratory syncitial virus, rhinovirus and influenza viruses; serologic viral testing (ELISA) was performed; sputum samples for microbiological exam were analysed in 13 patients.Results Four patients (20%) were positive for viral infection in nasal samples: 1 respiratory syncitial virus infection – also positive for Pseudomonas Aeruginosa in sputum, 2 rhinovirus and 2 influenza A-H1N1 infections; in one patient two viruses were identified. None of these patients was vaccinated against influenza, or had frequent exacerbations. Serology was negative for all patients for the tested antibodies. In one other patient Haemophillus Parainfluenzae was identified in sputum.Conclusions Viral infection was identified as a possible cause of COPD exacerbation in 4 patients (20%); serology testing was less informative than nasal viral identification. Only 2 patients had a positive sputum culture for bacteria. The cause of the exacerbation remained undetermined in 75% of patients. Antiviral treatment might not be cost-effective in preventing exacerbations.

Rating:

Share or cite this content

Citations should be made in the following way:
I. Strambu, I. Stoicescu, M. Burecu, D. Dospinoiu, C. Nita, F. Cojocaru, A. Croitoru, D. Ionita (Bucharest, Romania). Identification of nasal virus infection in patients with COPD exacerbations. Eur Respir J 2014; 44: Suppl. 58, 3636

Member's Comments

No comment yet.

Related content which might interest you: Etiological structure from sputum of patients with exacerbation of COPD Source: International Congress 2014 – Resistance, bacteriological profile and comorbidities in respiratory infections Year: 2014 Impact of frequent exacerbations in patients with COPD Source: International Congress 2014 – Clinical presentations Year: 2014 Mukoregulatory drugs in treating COPD Source: International Congress 2014 – Predictors Year: 2014 Etiology of exacerbations in severe COPD patients with bronchial chronic colonization by pseudomonas Source: Annual Congress 2013 –Difficult and rare respiratory infections Year: 2013 Infective exacerbations of COPD. Relation between the bacteriologic etiology and severity of the disease Source: International Congress 2014 – COPD markers Year: 2014 Clinical relevance of respiratory pathogens in patients hospitalised with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Source: Annual Congress 2013 –Interesting cases of respiratory infections Year: 2013 Survival in COPD patients with hospitalization due to exacerbation Source: International Congress 2014 – Longitudinal studies of respiratory disease Year: 2014 LATE-BREAKING ABSTRACT: The Guangzhou COPD exacerbation study: relationship of exacerbations with viral infections and soluble biomarkers Source: International Congress 2014 – Systemic biomarkers for airway diseases Year: 2014 Impact of bronchiectasis on duration of hospitalization in patients with exacerbations of COPD Source: International Congress 2015 – Asthma and COPD: overlap and exacerbations Year: 2015 Does sputum, biochemical and radiological markers of infection correlate with antibiotic prescribing in acute exacerbations of COPD? Source: International Congress 2014 – Different interesting issues in respiratory infections: 2 Year: 2014 Relationship of cold frequency and virus detection to exacerbations in COPD patients Source: International Congress 2015 – Asthma and COPD: overlap and exacerbations Year: 2015 Role of activated complement in COPD exacerbation recovery Source: International Congress 2014 – Comorbidities Year: 2014 Neutrophil CD 64 expression as a diagnostic marker of pneumonia in patients with acute COPD exacerbation Source: International Congress 2014 – Markers Year: 2014 The bronchitic phenotype is associated with frequent exacerbations in COPD irrespective of chronic bacterial airway infection Source: Annual Congress 2013 –Guidelines and exacerbations Year: 2013 Recording and response to hyperglycaemia in patients presenting with infective exacerbations of COPD Source: Annual Congress 2013 –Difficult and rare respiratory infections Year: 2013 Exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and concomitant asthma Source: International Congress 2014 – Asthma or COPD: comorbid condition or a poorly understood single disease? Year: 2014 Factors associated with cognitive dysfunction in COPD patients hospitalised with exacerbations Source: International Congress 2014 – COPD markers Year: 2014 Distinguishing features of pneumonia and exacerbations in COPD Source: International Congress 2015 – Prognostic factors in pneumonia: from clinical observations to experimental models Year: 2015 Characterization of readmissions in patients hospitalized with COPD exacerbation Source: International Congress 2016 – Novel avenues in the treatment of COPD II Year: 2016 Risk factors for another hospitalization in COPD patients hospitalized for exacerbation Source: International Congress 2016 – Hospitalisation and comorbidities in chronic lung diseases Year: 2016