Missed Opportunities to Diagnose COPD Earlier Detailed

By Joe Elia

An examination of the clinical records of some 40,000 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease shows plenty of missed opportunities to make the diagnosis (and intervene) earlier.

Data on the patients came from U.K. national databases for the period 1990 through 2009. Some 85% of patients diagnosed with COPD had a visit related to lower-respiratory symptoms in the 5 years before the diagnosis was made, according to research in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Most of those consultations resulted in a prescription, most often for antibiotics or steroids.

The authors recommend that COPD should be considered, and spirometry done, in patients over 40 with a history of smoking who present with lower-respiratory symptoms. It should also be considered in patients with smoking histories who are attending clinics for comorbid conditions often associated with COPD, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes.