Occurrence of COPD in Patients with Respiratory Allergy: A Clinico-Spirometric Evaluation in a Tertiary Hospital, Kolkata.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking is established as the most important causative factor responsible for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Occurrence of allergy in COPD patients causes acute exacerbation of this disease, but role of allergy is not established in aetiopathogenesis of COPD. AIM: The present study was aimed at evaluation of occurrence of COPD in patients having symptoms suggestive of respiratory allergy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate occurrence of COPD in patients having respiratory allergic symptoms by routine spirometric screening. Five hundred and fifty urban patients aged 18-60 years (both gender) ailing from chronic respiratory symptoms like cough, wheeze and Shortness Of Breath (SOB), who were referred from OPDs of RGKMCH, Kolkata, were included in this study. After obtaining detailed clinical profile, patients were divided into two groups: subjects having additional clinical symptoms suggestive of respiratory allergy (n=260) like nasal catarrh, nasal stuffiness and sneezing and subjects with no symptoms suggestive of respiratory allergy (n=290). Thereafter, routine spirometry was carried out following recommendations of ATS/ERS (2005). Patients were then categorized based on FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF25-75 and PEFR percent predicted values.
RESULTS: Study revealed that 18.97% of non-allergic population was suffering from COPD whereas only 7.69% of allergic subjects had COPD. This difference was statistically highly significant (p=0.0001). Although there was no significant difference in prevalence of respiratory symptoms between these two groups.
CONCLUSION: Present study concludes that patients with respiratory allergy may have coexistent COPD but occurrence of COPD is much less than that in patients with no respiratory allergy.