Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and Hemoglobin Status in Patients Suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory disease characterized by chronic airflow limitation due to the destruction of lung parenchyma and airways. COPD is associated with several extrapulmonary manifestations that could be the expression of the systemic inflammatory state of COPD. Materials and Methods: Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) assay and hematologic investigations such as hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood indices and peripheral smear examination were performed in 50 patients with COPD and 51 healthy agematched volunteers (control group). Result: The study result showed that a significant proportion of COPD patients had an imbalance in TSH level in blood and majority were suffering from a normocytic normochromic type of anemia. Conclusion: COPD is associated with an imbalance in TSH level in blood. Although COPD was thought to cause polycythemia, the current study showed that a significant proportion of patients have normocytic normochromic type of anemia.