Abstract
Introduction
There is increasing effort to identify people with undiagnosed COPD. However there is insufficient data on the profile of such patients to determine whether their characteristics and trajectory differ from those with established disease.
Aim
We compare the clinical characteristics of patients identified from a primary care COPD case-finding trial, with established cases on practice registers.
Methods
Interim baseline data from a primary care cohort of COPD patients from 71 UK practices were used. Patients with established COPD, as well as newly identified cases were invited. Baseline assessment includes spirometry, anthropometry, exercise capacity as well as questionnaires to obtain socio-demographic, occupational, lifestyle and health data
Results
1,071 patients with spirometry confirmed COPD (LLN criteria) were included; 89 identified through case-finding. Compared with established cases, the newly identified were more likely to be female (47 vs 37%), younger (mean age 63.2 vs 68.9) and current smokers (42.0 vs 31.3%). They had less severe obstruction (55.1% vs 17.2% GOLD stage I), lower CAT score (mean 15.4 vs 20.2) and fewer comorbidities (10.1 vs 15.6% had ≥3 comorbidities). Restricting analyses to 812 with moderate/severe disease (GS II-III), newly identified patients still had lower CAT (p=0.04), fewer exacerbations (p≤0.01) and lower BODE (p≤0.01). All analyses adjusted for age, sex, smoking and disease severity.
Conclusions
Patients identified through case finding have milder disease. Longitudinal studies are needed to assess prognosis and longer term benefits of early diagnosis.
- © 2014 ERS
