Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) guidelines make no recommendations for allergy diagnosis or treatment.
Objectives: To determine whether an allergic phenotype contributes to respiratory symptoms and exacerbations in patients with COPD.
Methods: Two separate cohorts were analyzed: National Health and Nutrition Survey III (NHANES III) and the COPD and domestic endotoxin (CODE) cohort. Subjects from NHANES III with COPD (n = 1,381) defined as age > 40 years, history of smoking, FEV1/FVC < 0.70, and no diagnosis of asthma were identified. The presence of an allergic phenotype (n = 296) was defined as self-reported doctor diagnosed hay fever or allergic upper respiratory symptoms. In CODE, former smokers with COPD (n = 77) were evaluated for allergic sensitization defined as a detectable specific IgE to perennial allergens. Bivariate and multivariate models were used to determine whether an allergic phenotype was associated with respiratory symptoms and exacerbations.
Measurements and main results: In NHANES III, multivariate analysis revealed that individuals with allergic phenotype were more likely to wheeze (odds ratio [OR], 2.1; P < 0.01), to have chronic cough (OR, 1.9; P = 0.01) and chronic phlegm (OR, 1.5; P < 0.05), and to have increased risk of COPD exacerbation requiring an acute doctor visit (OR, 1.7; P = 0.04). In the CODE cohort, multivariate analysis revealed that sensitized subjects reported more wheeze (OR, 5.91; P < 0.01), more nighttime awakening due to cough (OR, 4.20; P = 0.03), increased risk of COPD exacerbations requiring treatment with antibiotics (OR, 3.79; P = 0.02), and acute health visits (OR, 11.05; P < 0.01). An increasing number of sensitizations was associated with a higher risk for adverse health outcomes.
Conclusions: Among individuals with COPD, evidence of an allergic phenotype is associated with increased respiratory symptoms and risk of COPD exacerbations.