Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29649230›Full record

Observational studyPloS one2018

Lower serum IgA is associated with COPD exacerbation risk in SPIROMICS.

Nirupama Putcha, Gabriel G Paul, Antoine Azar, Robert A Wise, Wanda K O'Neal, Mark T Dransfield, Prescott G Woodruff, Jeffrey L Curtis, Alejandro P Comellas, M Bradley Drummond and 11 more

2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.0field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01969344 active not recruitingnot on this map

Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study

TypeobservationalSponsorUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel HillRan2010 to 2031Enrolled2,981ConditionsCOPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Bronchitis, Emphysema
NCT05764993 phase2unknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Prevalence of Humoral Immune Deficiency in Patients With Frequent Exacerbations of COPD, and the Effect of Immunoglobulin Replacement on Future Exacerbations

TypeinterventionalSponsorRochester General HospitalRan2023 to 2025Enrolled40ConditionsCOPD Exacerbation AcuteArmsCUVITRU - Ig subcutaneous human 20%, Standard Medical Therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 57 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Observational
  6. Serum Immunoglobulin G Levels Are Associated with Risk for Exacerbations: An Analysis of SPIROMICS.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2025
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Observational
  10. Review
  11. SIgA in various pulmonary diseases.European journal of medical research · 2023
    Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors at 10 institutions in 1 country.

Nirupama PutchaJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-0688-1836
Gabriel G PaulJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Antoine AzarJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Robert A WiseJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Wanda K O'NealUniversity of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
Mark T DransfieldUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America.
Prescott G WoodruffUniversity of San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
Jeffrey L CurtisUniversity of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.
Alejandro P ComellasUniversity of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America.
M Bradley DrummondUniversity of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
Allison A LambertJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Laura M PaulinJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Ashraf FawzyJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Richard E KannerUniversity of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America.
Robert PaineDepartment of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America.
MeiLan K HanUniversity of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.
Fernando J MartinezWeill Cornell Medical College. New York City, New York, United States of America.
Russell P BowlerNational Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America.
R Graham BarrColumbia University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America.
Nadia N HanselJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
SPIROMICS investigators
Johns Hopkins University · USUniversity of Michigan · USUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · USUniversity of Utah · USColumbia University · USCornell University · USNational Jewish Health · USUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham · USUniversity of Iowa · USUniversity of San Francisco · US

Funding

Transform Dissemination and Implementation Science in CTSA ProgramsUL1TR002319 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI John K. Amory · 2017 to 2026
$100.0M
Pulmonary Toxicology Facility CoreP30ES005605 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI Brandi Janssen · 1990 to 2026
$40.5M
Vector Core-Core 2P30DK054759 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI Alejandro Antonio Pezzulo · 1998 to 2026
$30.5M
SPIROMICS II: Biological underpinnings of COPD heterogeneity and progressionU01HL137880 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI WOODRUFF, PRESCOTT G · 2017 to 2021
$27.9M
The association of allergic disease with clinical outcomes in COPD.K23HL123594 · NHLBI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI PUTCHA, NIRUPAMA · 2015 to 2019
$1.0M
Indoor Air Pollution, Mucociliary Clearance, and Mucus Properties in COPDK23ES025781 · NIEHS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI PAULIN, LAURA MARIE · 2015 to 2019
$832k
Modulation of Steroid Suppression by Alveolar Macrophage EfferocytosisI01CX000911 · VA · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · PI CURTIS, JEFFREY LOUIS · 2016 to 2020
–
CSRD VA I01 CX000911NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002319NHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268200900013CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268200900014CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268200900015CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268200900016CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268200900017CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268200900018CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268200900019CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268200900020CNHLBI NIH HHS K23 HL123594NHLBI NIH HHS U01 HL137880NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK054759NIEHS NIH HHS K23 ES025781NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES005605NIH HHS K23HL123594
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDecreased but measurable serum IgA levels (≤70 mg/dL) have been associated with risk for infections in some populations, but are unstudied in COPD. This study tested the hypothesis that subnormal serum IgA levels would be associated with exacerbation risk in COPD.

methodsData were analyzed from 1,049 COPD participants from the observational cohort study SPIROMICS (535 (51%) women; mean age 66.1 (SD 7.8), 338 (32%) current smokers) who had baseline serum IgA measured using the Myriad RBM biomarker discovery platform. Exacerbation data was collected prospectively (mean 944.3 (SD 281.3) days), and adjusted linear, logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions were performed.

resultsMean IgA was 269.1 mg/dL (SD 150.9). One individual had deficient levels of serum IgA (<7 mg/dL) and 25 (2.4%) had IgA level ≤70 mg/dL. Participants with IgA ≤70 mg/dL were younger (62 vs. 66 years, p = 0.01) but otherwise similar to those with higher IgA. In adjusted models, IgA ≤70 mg/dL was associated with higher exacerbation incidence rates (IRR 1.71, 95% CI 1.01-2.87, p = 0.044) and greater risk for any severe exacerbation (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.30-6.94, p = 0.010). In adjusted models among those in the lowest decile (<120 mg/dL), each 10 mg/dL decrement in IgA (analyzed continuously) was associated with more exacerbations during follow-up (β 0.24, 95% CI 0.017-0.46, p = 0.035).

conclusionsSubnormal serum IgA levels were associated with increased risk for acute exacerbations, supporting mildly impaired IgA levels as a contributing factor in COPD morbidity. Additionally, a dose-response relationship between lower serum IgA and number of exacerbations was found among individuals with serum IgA in the lowest decile, further supporting the link between serum IgA and exacerbation risk. Future COPD studies should more comprehensively characterize immune status to define the clinical relevance of these findings and their potential for therapeutic correction.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overBiomarkersCohort StudiesDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansImmunoglobulin AIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveRegression AnalysisRiskTreatment OutcomeBiomarkersImmunoglobulin A

Identifiers

PMID29649230
PMCPMC5896903
OpenAlexW2798173619

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.