PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Rasa Gauronskaite
AU  - Silvija Zemnickiene
AU  - Irina Liustrickyte
AU  - Dalia Poceviciute
AU  - Edvardas Danila
AU  - Ruta Kibarskyte
TI  - How COPD patients understand their disease and what are their future expectations?
AID  - 10.1183/13993003.congress-2016.PA4342
DP  - 2016 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - PA4342
VI  - 48
IP  - suppl 60
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/48/suppl_60/PA4342.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/48/suppl_60/PA4342.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2016 Sep 01; 48
AB  - AIM: To assess how COPD patients understand their disease, its etiology, risk factors and to evaluate COPD impact on patient social life and future expectations.STUDY POPULATION: 73 COPD patients (male 93%, mean age 68±1 years) were questioned. 10% were current smokers, 74% were ex - smokers (the average smoking pack-year was 35 years), 16% never smoked. The average time of illness was 11 years.METHODS: A questionnaire concerning patients understanding of the disease, risk factors, impact on social life, expectations for the future was created.RESULTS: Only 49% of the patients know the exact name of the disease they are suffering from.62% of all ex-smokers quit this habit after first symptoms of the disease occurred (14±2 years); 11% quit because they were advised by their family physician.48% of the interviewed patients consider that the reason of getting COPD was harmful workplace environment, 36% recurrent respiratory tract infections, and only 37 % of the patients name smoking as the main reason. 61% of the patients reported that COPD became the main problem in their life, because it strongly affects their physical activity. In scale from 0 to 10, patients evaluated their quality of life approximately 5,4.Patients perception about their future expectations is poor, 45% of them believe that their condition will improve or they will heal completely, 19% of the patients do not expect any significant changes in their future and only 1% - claim that their disease will end in death.CONCLUSIONS: COPD patients lack knowledge of their disease and smoking role. The quality of life is affected not only by worsening of physical status but also by patients social problems which occurred due to COPD.