Prevalence and associated factors of dysglycemia among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

• Published in: Chronic respiratory disease Vol. 18; p. 14799731211056348
• Main Authors: Zulkifli, Khairil K, Mohamed Shah, Fatimah Z, Ismail, Ahmad I, Abdul Rahman, Thuhairah H, Ghani, Rohana A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 2021; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Blood Glucose; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Glucose; Glucose Tolerance Test; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hypoglycemia; Original Paper; Patient admissions; Prediabetic State - epidemiology; Prevalence; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - complications; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - epidemiology; diabetes mellitus; oral glucose tolerance test; dysglycemia; prediabetes; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• ISSN: 1479-9731; 1479-9723; 1479-9731
• DOI: 10.1177/14799731211056348

Objectives Dysglycemia is known to be a common comorbidity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, undiagnosed dysglycemia and the associated factors remain under-reported. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and the associated factors of dysglycemia among COPD patients. Methods This was a cross-sectional, single-center study involving adults with established COPD (n = 186) divided into those with or without hospital admissions for acute exacerbation. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in patients with no known history of dysglycemia. Results There were 16 patients who had overt diabetes, and 32 had prediabetes following the OGTT. Forty percent had histories of hospital admissions for COPD exacerbations. Both groups demonstrated similar 2-h post prandial glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting blood glucose. The incidences of newly diagnosed dysglycemia were higher in both groups (40.8% vs 34.6%, p = 0.57). Cumulative days of admission (≥6 days/year) and weight (≥65 kg) were identified as predictors for dysglycemia within the study population. Discussion This study demonstrated a high number of overt and newly diagnosed dysglycemia among COPD patients who had no previous history of abnormal glucose. Recent acute exacerbations of COPD could have a negative impact on glycemia, although the results did not attain statistical significance. However, there is a need for adequate screening for dysglycemia, particularly among those with frequent acute exacerbations of their condition.