Md Shahidul Islam1, Md. Ansar Ali2, Samir C. Majumdar3, Md. Azizul Haque4,Md. Khairul Anam5, SM Abdur Razzaque5, Nihar Ranjan Saha5, Abdullah Al Mujahid6

Abstract:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the major cause of chronic
morbidity and mortality throughout the world. GOLD estimates suggest that COPD
will rise from the sixth to the third most common causes of death worldwide by
20201. It is a chronic disease of pulmonary system having many systemic and
extrapulmonary effects in addition to pulmonary problems like cough, sputum,
dyspnoea. With the passage of time, the severity of disease also increases and
complications like pneumothorax , respiratory failure, pulmonary hypertension ,
cor-pulmonale, polycythemia , hyperviscosity syndrome, anorexia, weight loss occur
due to pulmonary as well as systemic inflammation from which complete recovery
is not possible. Measurement of inflammatory maker is difficult but platelet counts
are less costly, easy and available in many health center. The present study was
conducted to see if platelet count may be accepted as an indicator of systemic
inflammation. This study was done to find out the platelet counts as a systemic
inflammatory marker in COPD patients and to compare the platelet counts between
COPD patients & normal persons. It was carried out in Department of Medicine
(indoor & outdoor ), Rajshahi Medical College Hospital from January ,2010 to
December,2011. 67 (Sixty seven) spirometrically diagnosed COPD patients and 69
apparently healthy people were included. All of that study sample were free from
taking any antiplatelet drugs and free from any preexisting diseases which causes
platelet count alteration. This exclusion was done by history, through clinical
examination and relevant investigations. Maximum platelet count of COPD was
670 x 103/µL and minimum was 174 x 103/ µL. Patients with COPD had increased
circulating platelet count (103/ µL) compared with controls (mean ± SD) 325.54±
87.32 vs 204.32 ± 60.56, with a p value d” 0.001. Platelet count also was increased
in relation to severity of COPD but which was not statistically significant.
So Platelet count can be considered as marker of inflammation in COPD patients.
Key words: COPD, Polatelet count, Systemic inflammation.

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