Thrombocytopenia Linked to Worse Outcomes in Pneumonia, COPD, and Asthma: Study

Key Findings

• 2,993,792 patients were admitted with PNA, and 148,260 (4.95%) of them had thrombocytopenia.

• Of 2,637,483 admissions for COPD, 77,160 (2.92%) had thrombocytopenia.

• Of 491,990 asthma admissions, 6,300 (1.28%) had thrombocytopenia.

Thrombocytopenia was strongly linked with increased in-hospital mortality in all three conditions:

• PNA: Odds Ratio (OR) 2.31, p<0.001

• COPD: OR 2.99, p<0.001

• Asthma: OR 7.26, p<0.001

• The patients with asthma and thrombocytopenia had 626% greater in-hospital mortality than the patients without thrombocytopenia.

• Hospital stay was longer in the patients with thrombocytopenia in all conditions.

• Resource use was much greater in the affected patients.

• Intubation rates were higher in thrombocytopenic patients.

Researchers concluded that PNA, COPD, and asthma patients with thrombocytopenia have significantly poorer hospital outcomes, such as increased mortality, increased length of stay, greater resource use, and increased rates of intubation. The results highlight the necessity for additional studies to see if the resolution of thrombocytopenia can abate these risks and enhance patient outcomes overall.

Reference:

Siochi, C., Durodola, B., Ali, F., Patel, V. K., Nwachukwu, C., Lerman, B., Canuto Miller, A., & Jesmajian, S. (2025). Impact of thrombocytopenia on outcomes in hospitalized patients with pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma: A nationwide study (2016–2020). Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.80037