JHSM
Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine

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Original Article
COPD and eosinophils: a perspective from the intensive care unit
Abstract
Aims: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory disorder characterized by airflow limitation and chronic airway inflammation. Various biomarkers have been investigated to better guide the treatment and predict the prognosis of COPD patients, among which blood eosinophil levels have received particular attention. Unlike many previous studies, our investigation specifically focuses on COPD patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), where disease severity is markedly higher
Methods: Data from 141 COPD patients admitted to the ICU over a one-year period were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were classified into two groups based on their blood eosinophil counts; a low eosinophil group (0-100 cells/µl) and a moderate-high eosinophil group (>100 cells/µl). These groups were compared in terms of clinical scoring systems, laboratory parameters, and ICU-related clinical outcomes.
Results: Patients with low eosinophil levels had higher levels of infection-related biomarkers, including procalcitonin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio. Additionally, a weak positive correlation was observed between increasing eosinophil levels and partial carbon dioxide pressure. However, no statistically significant associations were found between eosinophil levels and outcomes such as mortality, tracheostomy requirement, or the need for inotropic support.
Conclusion: In addition to its established role in predicting response to corticosteroid therapy, the peripheral blood eosinophil count may serve as a potential biomarker for guiding treatment strategies and prognostic evaluation in COPD exacerbations managed in the ICU. It should be noted that in COPD patients with higher eosinophil levels requiring intensive care follow-up, non-infectious exacerbations -such as those triggered by environmental exposures, medication nonadherence, or underlying airway inflammation- may be more prominent.

Keywords : COPD, eosinophil, intensive care, mortality, respiratory disease

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Article available in :
Volume 8, Issue 3, 2025
Page : 441-446
https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1675241
Article Information
Received : 13 Nis 2025
Accepted : 30 Nis 2025
Published : 30 May 2025
Corresponding Author :

Oral Menteş: Department of Chest Diseases, Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Menteş O, Yıldız M. COPD and eosinophils: a perspective from the intensive care unit. J Health Sci Med. 2025;8(3):441-446.

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