Abstract
Introduction: Obstructive pulmonary disease presents defined symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, sputum and wheezing. Symptoms of restrictive ventilatory impairment are less well defined.
Objective: Compare the occurrence of respiratory symptoms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with the ones presented by individuals with restrictive impairment in the different stages of the disease.
Methods: Between 2002 and 2004, individuals over 40 years of age from five cities in Latin America were analyzed and had a pre post-bronchodilator spirometry done and reported their respiratory symptoms.
Results: N= 5315: 260 (4.9%) - restriction impairment and 759 (14.4%) - COPD diagnoses. Patients with COPD coughed more (31.4% vs 23.5%; OR 1.36: 1.05, 1.74) and had more sputum (28.3% vs 21.9%; OR 1.30: 1.0, 1.68). No difference was seen in dyspnea (OR:0.86 (0.69,1,06) between the two groups. Comparing the different stages of disease, at moderate stage: COPD patients presented more cough than those with restrictive impairment (40,5% vs 27,3%; OR 1,53: 1,07-2,20) and more sputum (36,6%) vs 23,6%; OR 1,57: 1,07- 2,30); moderate, severe and very severe stages: COPD had more wheezing episodes than those with restrictive disease. Regarding dyspnea, it was more intense in patients with mild restriction than in those with mild COPD (43% vs56%; OR 1,11: 1,02,1,21).
Conclusions: Cough and sputum are more frequent in patients with COPD than those with restrictive ventilatory impairment. Dyspnea is a symptom more pronunced in patients with restrictive impairment compared with individuals with COPD in early stages of the disease.
- © 2011 ERS