The clinical value of suPAR in diagnosis and prediction for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is positively correlated with immune system activity. Inflammation can promote the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore, this study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between suPAR levels and the pathogenesis of COPD, and further assess the exact clinical value of suPAR in COPD.

PubMed, Excerpt Medica Database (Embase), Web of Science (WOS), and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies that reported the value of suPAR diagnosis for adult COPD patients.

A total of 11 studies were included, involving 4520 participants. Both COPD patients with predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)⩾80% [weighted mean difference (WMD) = 320.25; 95% confidence interval (CI): 99.79–540.71] and FEV1 < 80% (WMD = 2950.74; 95% CI: 2647.06–3254.43) showed higher suPAR level. The sensitivity and specificity of suPAR for diagnosis of COPD were 87% and 79%, respectively, and AUC was 84%. This can not only effectively identify acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) in a healthy population (WMD = 3114.77; 95% CI: 2814.66–3414.88), but also has the potential to distinguish AECOPD from stable COPD (WMD = 351.40; 95% CI: 215.88–486.93). There was a significant decrease of suPAR level after treatment [WMD = –1226.97; 95% CI: –1380.91– (–1073.03)].

suPAR as a novel biomarker has potential for early diagnosis of COPD and prediction of AECOPD. There is a potential correlation between the level of suPAR and the state of COPD, which may also indicate the early state and severity of COPD. When the suPAR level of COPD patients is further increased, the risk of acute exacerbation increases and should be highly valued. This also shows potential as a measure of treatment response, and as a guide to the clinical management in COPD.

The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.