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Article Type

Review

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) assessment during stable and acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Background VEGF is a cytokine that has potent angiogenic and vascular permeability-enhancing activities. VEGF serum level was found to increase in a number of inflammatory disorders. Patient and methods This study was carried out in the Chest and Medical Biochemistry Departments, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University and El-Mahalla Chest Hospital in the period from July 2015 to March 2016. It included 75 patients, with a mean age of 54.7 ± 7.55 years. The patients were subjected to clinical examination and standard spirometric measures including percentage of predicted forced vital capacity, percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in the first second, and forced expiratory volume in the first second/forced vital capacity ratio. Measurement of VEGF serum levels was done in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD on the first day of hospitalization, whereas for patients with stable COPD and for the healthy controls, the sample was taken on the same day of the spirometric maneuver. Results VEGF level was significantly elevated in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared with controls and also was significantly higher in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD compared with patients with stable COPD. Conclusion VEGF is significantly elevated in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD and is proportional to the severity of stable COPD. Therefore, it can be used as a biomarker for COPD.

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