D-dimer levels in stable COPD patients: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: High D-dimer levels have been detected in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation, irrespective of presence of venous thromboembolism. On the other hand, there is a continuing debate about the diagnostic efficiency of D-dimer tests in patients with stable COPD. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate if basic laboratory investigations suggest hypercoagulability state in stable COPD patients, and if there is an association with D-dimer levels and pulmonary function tests. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study. COPD patients and controls were matched for sex and age in a 2:1 matching ratio. D-dimer levels and pulmonary function tests were performed in COPD patients and controls. RESULTS: A total of 58 COPD patients and 30 controls met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The median of D-dimers was 0.24 ng/mL (IQR: 0.21-0.36 ng/mL) in COPD group and 0.17 ng/mL (IQR: 0.12-0.24 ng/mL) in control group. This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.102). Using bivariate correlations, we found significant positive correlations between BMI and D-dimers in COPD patients (r = 0.3, p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: We found that levels of D-dimers in stable COPD were not different as compared to control subjects. Our results also suggest that BMI could lead to disturbances in coagulation system.