Effect of Aspirin and Statins on Pulmonary Function and Inflammation in Patients with AECOPD

Abstract

Background: The influence of coronary atherosclerosis and related treatment drugs on acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) development requires in-depth study. The study investigated the effect of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and drugs for CAC on the development of AECOPD. Methods: This retrospective clinical study recruited subjects with AECOPD from May 2017 to May 2019. All subjects performed spirometry and coronary computed tomography (CT), and were divided into three groups according to whether coronary CT revealed CAC and whether they had received oral aspirin and statins: AECOPD group, AECOPD[Formula: see text]CAC nonmedication and AECOPD[Formula: see text]CAC medication. The t-test and nonparametric test were used for analyzing the lung function, arterial blood gas, routine blood and lipid between groups. Results: Compared with the AECOPD group, Lym% were significantly higher ([Formula: see text]) in both the AECOPD[Formula: see text]CAC nonmedication and the AECOPD[Formula: see text]CAC medication. The AECOPD[Formula: see text]CAC medication group also had significantly higher PaO2 ([Formula: see text]). WBC, Neu, and Neu% in the AECOPD[Formula: see text]CAC medication group were significantly lower ([Formula: see text]) compared to the AECOPD group. Conclusions: Aspirin and statins for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases may be linked to improving lung function, normalizing blood gas levels, and reducing inflammation in patients with AECOPD and CAC. Further, randomized controlled trials are needed to explore this topic.