Early detection enables the possibility for interventions to reduce the future burden of COPD. The Danish National Board of Health recommends that individuals >35 years with tobacco/occupational exposure, and at least 1 respiratory symptom should be offered a spirometry to facilitate early detection of COPD. The aim, therefore, was to provide evidence for the feasibility and impact of doing spirometry in this target population.
Participating general practitioners (GPs) (n = 335; 10% of the Danish GPs) recruited consecutively, subjects with >35 years exposure, no previous diagnosis of obstructive lung disease, and at least 1 of the following symptoms: cough, dyspnea, wheezing, sputum, or recurrent respiratory infection. Data on age, smoking status, pack-years, body mass index (BMI), dyspnea score (Medical Research Council, MRC), and pre-bronchodilator spirometry (FEV(1), FEV(1)% predicted, FEV(1)/FVC) were obtained.
A total of 3.095 (51% females) subjects was included: mean age 58 years, BMI 26.3, and 31.5 pack-years. The majority of subjects (88%) reported MRC score 1 or 2. FEV(1)/FVC-ratio = 0.7 was found in 34.8% of the subjects; the prevalence of airway obstruction increased with age and decreased with increasing BMI, and was higher in men and current smokers. According to the level of FEV(1), 79% of the subjects with airway obstruction had mild to moderate COPD.
More than one-third of the recruited subjects had airway obstruction (FEV(1)/ FVC
Notes
Cites: Chest. 2001 Mar;119(3):731-611243950
Cites: BMJ. 2002 Jun 8;324(7350):137012052807
Cites: Thorax. 2004 Feb;59 Suppl 1:1-23215041752
Cites: Eur Respir J. 2004 Jun;23(6):932-4615219010
Cites: Control Clin Trials. 1993 Apr;14(2 Suppl):38S-51S8500312
Cites: Thorax. 1999 Jul;54(7):581-610377201
Cites: Thorax. 2009 Oct;64(10):863-819553233
Cites: Chest. 2008 Jun;133(6):1451-6218574288
Cites: Eur Respir J. 2009 Feb;33(2):298-30419010980
Cites: COPD. 2008 Dec;5(6):347-5219353348
Cites: Lancet. 2009 Aug 29;374(9691):66319716941
Cites: Lancet. 2009 Aug 29;374(9691):721-3219716965