Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Balcells, Eva
• Gimeno-Santos, Elena
• de Batlle, Jordi
• Ramon, Maria Antonia
• Rodríguez, Esther
• Benet, Marta
• Farrero, Eva
• Ferrer, Antoni
• Guerra, Stefano
• Ferrer, Jaume
• Sauleda, Jaume
• Barberà, Joan A
• Agustí, Àlvar
• Rodriguez-Roisin, Robert
• Gea, Joaquim
• Antó, Josep M
• Garcia-Aymerich, Judith

Titel

Characterisation and prognosis of undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients at their first hospitalisation

Ist Teil von

• BMC pulmonary medicine, 2015-01, Vol.15 (1), p.4-4, Article 4

Ort / Verlag

England: BioMed Central Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2015

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Under-diagnosis of COPD is an important unmet medical need. We investigated the characteristics and prognosis of hospitalised patients with undiagnosed COPD. The PAC-COPD cohort included 342 COPD patients hospitalised for the first time for an exacerbation of COPD (2004-2006). Patients were extensively characterised using sociodemographic, clinical and functional variables, and the cohort was followed-up through 2008. We defined "undiagnosed COPD" by the absence of any self-reported respiratory disease and regular use of any pharmacological respiratory treatment. Undiagnosed COPD was present in 34% of patients. They were younger (mean age 66 vs. 68 years, p = 0.03), reported fewer symptoms (mMRC dyspnoea score, 2.1 vs. 2.6, p < 0.01), and had a better health status (SGRQ total score, 29 vs. 40, p < 0.01), milder airflow limitation (FEV1% ref., 59% vs. 49%, p < 0.01), and fewer comorbidities (two or more, 40% vs. 56%, p < 0.01) when compared with patients with an established COPD diagnosis. Three months after hospital discharge, 16% of the undiagnosed COPD patients had stopped smoking (vs. 5%, p = 0.019). During follow-up, annual hospitalisation rates were lower in undiagnosed COPD patients (0.14 vs. 0.25, p < 0.01); however, this difference disappeared after adjustment for severity. Mortality was similar in both groups. Undiagnosed COPD patients have less severe disease and lower risk of re-hospitalisation when compared with hospitalised patients with known COPD.