The effect of isolated nocturnal oxygen desaturations on serum hs‐CRP and IL‐6 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Introduction A majority of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) die of cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet the mechanisms responsible for this association are not fully understood. It remains unknown if isolated nocturnal oxygen desaturation (iNOD) could be one of the potential pathways by which the ‘inflammatory COPD’ phenotype leads to CVD. Objectives We aimed to evaluate if COPD patients who meet the Medicare guidelines for nocturnal oxygen therapy (iNOT+) had higher serum hs‐CRP and IL‐6 than those who did not meet the guidelines for iNOT (iNOT−). Methods Patients with moderate to severe COPD (ie FEV1