Association of Peak Expiratory Flow with Pulmonary Fungal Infection in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.
- 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, People's Republic of China.
- 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Kaizhou District People's Hospital, Chongqing, 405400, People's Republic of China.
- 3Department of General Practice, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Objective
Pulmonary fungal infections are increasingly recognized as important complications of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), but early identification remains challenging. This study investigated the independent association between peak expiratory flow (PEF) and pulmonary fungal infection in hospitalized patients with AECOPD.Methods
This retrospective study enrolled 729 adult inpatients with AECOPD admitted to a tertiary hospital in Chongqing from January to December 2023. PEF was measured after admission and before treatment initiation. Pulmonary fungal infection was diagnosed based on host risk factors, microbiological evidence, clinical findings, and histopathology. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between PEF and pulmonary fungal infection. Subgroup and mediation analyses were also performed.Results
The mean age was 71.7 years, and 68.4% were male. Patients with pulmonary fungal infection were older and had lower PEF values than those without infection (2.1 ± 0.9 vs 2.4 ± 1.3, respectively), and showed higher ESR, CRP, and IL-6 levels. After covariate adjustment, higher PEF was independently associated with a lower risk of pulmonary fungal infection (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.66-0.98, P = 0.034). This association remained consistent across age, sex, and smoking subgroups, without significant interactions. Age partially mediated this association, accounting for 15.68% of the total effect.Conclusion
Lower PEF was independently associated with increased pulmonary fungal infection risk in hospitalized patients with AECOPD. PEF may serve as a simple bedside indicator for early risk stratification and targeted clinical evaluation.
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BibTeX
@article{deng2026association,
title = {{Association of Peak Expiratory Flow with Pulmonary Fungal Infection in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.}},
author = {Awei Deng and Chengfeng Fu and Shengli Yi and Depeng Jiang},
journal = {International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/copd.s628459},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898894},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association of Peak Expiratory Flow with Pulmonary Fungal Infection in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.
AU - Awei Deng
AU - Chengfeng Fu
AU - Shengli Yi
AU - Depeng Jiang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
DO - 10.2147/copd.s628459
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898894
AB - Objective Pulmonary fungal infections are increasingly recognized as important complications of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), but early identification remains challenging. This study investigated the independent association between peak expiratory flow (PEF) and pulmonary fungal infection in hospitalized patients with AECOPD.Methods This retrospective study enrolled 729 adult inpatients with AECOPD admitted to a tertiary hospital in Chongqing from January to December 2023. PEF was measured after admission and before treatment initiation. Pulmonary fungal infection was diagnosed based on host risk factors, microbiological evidence, clinical findings, and histopathology. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between PEF and pulmonary fungal infection. Subgroup and mediation analyses were also performed.Results The mean age was 71.7 years, and 68.4% were male. Patients with pulmonary fungal infection were older and had lower PEF values than those without infection (2.1 ± 0.9 vs 2.4 ± 1.3, respectively), and showed higher ESR, CRP, and IL-6 levels. After covariate adjustment, higher PEF was independently associated with a lower risk of pulmonary fungal infection (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.66-0.98, P = 0.034). This association remained consistent across age, sex, and smoking subgroups, without significant interactions. Age partially mediated this association, accounting for 15.68% of the total effect.Conclusion Lower PEF was independently associated with increased pulmonary fungal infection risk in hospitalized patients with AECOPD. PEF may serve as a simple bedside indicator for early risk stratification and targeted clinical evaluation.
SN - 1176-9106
SN - 1178-2005
ER -