COPD overdiagnosis in primary care: a UK observational study of consistency of airflow obstruction.

ABSTRACT: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is heterogeneous, but persistent airflow obstruction (AFO) is fundamental to diagnosis. We studied AFO consistency from initial diagnosis and explored factors associated with absent or inconsistent AFO. This was a retrospective observational study using patient-anonymised routine individual data in Care and Health Information Analytics (CHIA) database. Identifying a prevalent COPD cohort based on diagnostic codes in primary care records, we used serial ratios of forced expiratory volume in 1 s to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC%) from time of initial COPD diagnosis to assign patients to one of three AFO categories, according to whether all (persistent), some (variable) or none (absent) were <70%. We described respiratory prescriptions over 3 yea

SUBMITTER: Josephs L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6695394 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature