Assessment of hyaluronic acid in COPD patients as a prognostic biomarker

One essential element of the extracellular matrix is hyaluronic acid (HA). It has been claimed that HA and its metabolism are different in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The present study investigated the predictive significance of serum level of HA in patients with COPD and monitored changes in its level in these patients because of therapy. HA was assessed in 60 patients with stable COPD (divided into subgroups I and II) and 20 healthy controls and then repeated after 3 and 6 months in COPD patients. Most of the patients were males (63.3%), and their ages ranged from 30 to 90. The serum level of HA was significantly increased in subgroups I and II (269.33 ± 4, 290 ± 4, respectively), compared to the control group (147.5 ± 1) with a significant difference in its level between both (p < 0.0001). The serum level of HA was significantly decreased in both subgroups 3 and 6 months later following adjustment of treatment and associated with improvement in pulmonary function test. There were significant positive correlations between HA and age as well as smoking index. Its level correlated negatively with forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1%), forced vital capacity (FVC%), and FEV1/FVC. HA is a useful marker for identifying clinical stability in COPD patients and for follow-up in the efficacy of treatment.