Yukiko Kunitomo, MD, MHS

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease characterized by abnormal airways and destruction of lung tissue, leading to chronic respiratory symptoms and increased mortality. Despite being the third leading cause of death globally, COPD has limited treatment options. The majority of individuals with COPD also have additional concurrent diseases that could be treated to improve their overall condition and quality of life. One common condition is iron deficiency, low iron levels, which has existing, affordable therapies. Even without anemia, iron deficiency can have negative effects on different bodily functions. We will study whether people with both COPD and iron deficiency have worse symptoms and lower ability to exercise, and whether they benefit less from pulmonary rehabilitation. The findings could help decide if treating iron deficiency in people with COPD is beneficial.

Update: In the past year, I have investigated iron deficiency using a measure called transferrin saturation (TSAT), a blood test that measures how much iron is available for use in the body. We are assessing iron deficiency in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive lung disease without treatments beyond those designed to ease symptoms. In the past year, we showed that 78% of individuals hospitalized for COPD exacerbations (flares in symptoms), who are at high risk for rapid decline in their lung health, had iron deficiency. Although iron deficiency is often considered as a symptom of anemia (low hemoglobin level), 36% of the individuals we studied had iron deficiency without anemia. We further demonstrated that participants with low TSAT levels had more symptoms impacting their daily life, in particular for symptoms related to physical activity. This supports one of the known important functions of iron, which is to help the muscle cells use oxygen to generate energy during exercise.