Serum CRP neopterin and procalcitonin levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease acute attack cases

Chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease (COPD); is a disease characterised by airflow limitation which doesn't indicate full reversibility. In the course of disease and prognosis attacks take an important place. The aim of this study is; to measure the levels of inflammator markers such as serum high sensitive c-reactive protein (hsCRP), neopterin, procalsitonin (PCT) of the patients presenting with COPD acute attack, and to search for the correlation between the quality of life of these markers (St George's Respiratory Questionaire (SGRQ)) and the capacity of exercise (six minutes of walking test (6MWT). Thirty COPD acute attack patient and 20 healthy cases were included in the study. Serum high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), neopterin and procalsitonin (PCT) levels were measured by taking venous blood samples form healthy cases once and from patients with COPD on the first and 15th day of the attack. On the first and 15th days of the attack, respiratory function test, 6MWT and SGRQ respiratory questionaire were done to the patients with COPD. On the first day of the COPD attack, we determined that the levels of serum PCT, hsCRP and neopterin were significantly higher (for all parameters p<0.001) than the fifteenth day (for all parameters p<0.001) and the healthy cases, that SGRQ scores (for all parameters p<0.001) decreased significantly on the 15th day and that 6MWTdistance (P<0.001) increased significantly on the 15th day. We also determined that there is no correlation between capacity of exercise and quality of life and levels of serum PCT, hsCRP and neopterin (for all parameters p>0.05). As a result, we concluded that serum PCT, hsCRP and neopterin can be used as an inflammatory marker in COPD cases but it remains in capable of reflecting the state of life of quality and capacity of exercise and therefore it cannot reflect the patient's present condition. Keywords: COPD, CRP, neopterin, procalsitonin