PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Paraschiva Postolache
AU  - Octavian Petrescu
AU  - Ingrid Olga Merisanu
AU  - Luminita Calin
AU  - Liliana Chelariu
AU  - Oana Cristina Arghir
AU  - Daniela Husanu
TI  - Pulmonary rehabilitation, COPD assessment test and smoking cessation at smokers with COPD
DP  - 2011 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - p3634
VI  - 38
IP  - Suppl 55
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p3634.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p3634.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2011 Sep 01; 38
AB  - The objective was to compare the improvement of quality of life (QoL) between smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who completed a PR program complementary of the smoking cessation treatment and those who received usual treatment.Methods: Inclusion criteria were: evidence of COPD according to GOLD standards; an initial HbCO > 2% and an initial COPD Assessment Test (CAT) completed by every patient. From 437 smokers with COPD (GOLD stages II-III) only 113 pacients were enrolled in a 12 weeks supervised PR program, complementary the smoking cessation treatment (the PR group), and 324 smokers received the treatment for COPD and for stop smoking, monitorized as well for 12 weeks (non-PR group). All pacients completed the CAT questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of the determined period.Results: Initially, CAT scores varied between 26-38 without any diferrence between the PR group and the other patients. At the end of the period, the CAT scores in the PR group were between 7-16 comparing to the non-PR group where CAT scores shown little improvements since the beginning of the treatment, with values between 20-26, additionally to smoking cessation failure at an important number of non-PR members (45.98%) than the PR group (16.81%). There were reported as well higher rates of long-term abstinence in the pacients adherent to PR than the other group.Conclusions: Although current smokers are often expected to have a small PR adherence, COPD smokers who completed the PR presented important QoL improvements, better CAT score than COPD smokers usually treated. Moreover, a better PR adherence seems to be related with higher rates of sustained long term abstinence.