Burden Of Illness In Blood Eosinophilic Phenotype Copd Patients In New Zealand

Background: Real-world data on eosinophilic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)'s clinical burden, in exacerbating/stable states, and the stability of blood eosinophil count (BEC) measurements are limited. We described measured BEC distributions among general practice COPD patients in New Zealand (NZ).Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized the NZ-HealthStat primary care database. Participants were aged >= 40 years, with >= 1 BEC 6 months following a COPD diagnosis code during 2011-2012. Descriptive analyses included examinations of BEC stability and association with COPD exacerbations/treatments/comorbidities.Results: The most frequent COPD comorbidity was asthma (n = 1180/2909, 40.56%). Among COPD patients: 65% had BECs >150 cells/mu L; 35% had BECs >300 cells/mu L (non-mutually exclusive threshold categories). Treatment patterns were similar, except for more frequent inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/long-acting beta(2)-agonist use in COPD patients with asthma history (51%) than those without (31%). Factors associated with BECs >150 cells/mu L in participants without ICS treatment included Maori/Pacific ethnicity, obesity, oral corticosteroid (OCS) use, and exacerbation history. When stratified by asthma history, ICS treatment, and neutrophil count above/below 5000 cells/mu L, geometric mean BECs ranged from 136.70 to 398.52 cells/mu L. Exploratory analyses showed a fairegood COPD/BEC measurement stability over 12 months.Conclusions: Asthma was a common COPD comorbidity in NZ, particularly in Maori/Pacific patients. No overall relationship was observed between BEC/COPD exacerbations, which may reflect background ICS confounding. However, analyses in non-ICS treated participants suggested that Maori/Pacific patients with obesity and COPD, OCS treatment, exacerbation history, and/or elevated BECs are at the highest risk of COPD exacerbations. One BEC measurement appears a good indicator of a patient's BECs over time. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Japanese Respiratory Society.