COPD patient profiles in primary care. Referral criteria.

COPD is a disease with a high prevalence that diminishes the quality of life of many patients. Despite this, there are still high rates of under-diagnosis in Spain, partly due to a lack of recognition of the pathology by patients. In this context, the role played by primary care teams becomes fundamental, as they are one of the first lines of entry into the health system. In this paper we explain the different COPD profiles that may be present, and update the tools for diagnosis and treatment, which, together with an attitude of active suspicion of the disease, can help in the correct management of patients, whether they are undiagnosed or have subsequent complications.

Valoración ecográfica de la dinámica diafragmática en pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica tras tratamiento con indacaterol/glicopirronio / Ultrasound assessment of diaphragmatic dynamics in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after treatment with indacaterol/glycopyrronium

Introduction Air trapping is one of the main determinants of dyspnea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). An increase in air trapping leads to a change in the normal diaphragmatic configuration with associated functional impairment. Said deterioration improves with bronchodilator therapy. Chest ultrasound (CU) has been used to assess changes in diaphragmatic motility after short-acting bronchodilator therapy, but there are no previous studies on these changes after long-acting bronchodilator treatment. Material and methods Interventional prospective study. Patients with COPD and moderate to very severe ventilatory obstruction were included in the study. Diaphragm motion and thickness were assessed by CU before and after 3 months of treatment with indacaterol/glycopirronium 85/43 mcg. Results Thirty patients were included (56.6% men, mean age: 69.4 ± 6.2 years). Pre- and post-treatment diaphragmatic mobility measured during resting breathing, deep breathing, and nasal sniffing were 19.9 ± 7.1 mm and 26.4 ± 8.7 mm (p < 0.0001); 42.5 ± 14.1 mm and 64.5 ± 25.9 mm (p < 0.0001); and 36.5 ± 17.4 mm and 46.7 ± 18.5 mm (p = 0.012), respectively. A significant improvement was also found in the minimum and maximum diaphragm thickness (p < 0.05), but there were no significant changes in the diaphragmatic shortening fraction after treatment (p = 0.341). Conclusions Treatment with indacaterol/glycopyrronium 85/43 mcg every 24 hours for 3 months improved diaphragmatic mobility in patients with COPD with moderate to very severe airway obstruction. CU may be useful for assessing the response to treatment in these patients (AU)

Introducción El atrapamiento aéreo en la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) es uno de los principales responsables de la disnea en estos enfermos. Su incremento conlleva que el diafragma pierda su configuración habitual y se afecte así su funcionalidad, la cual parece mejorar tras la administración de terapia broncodilatadora. La ecografía torácica (ET) se ha utilizado para evaluar estos cambios tras el uso de broncodilatadores de acción corta, pero no hay estudios que valoren estas variaciones con el empleo de broncodilatadores de acción larga. Material y métodos Estudio prospectivo intervencionista de 3 meses de seguimiento donde se valoró el movimiento/grosor diafragmático con ET antes y después del inicio del tratamiento con indacaterol/glicopirronio 85/43 mcg en pacientes EPOC con obstrucción moderada-muy grave al flujo aéreo. Resultados Treinta pacientes fueron incluidos (56,6% hombres, edad media: 69,4 ± 6,2 años). La movilidad diafragmática pre y postratamiento en respiración a volumen corriente, profunda y sniff nasal fue de 19,9 ± 7,1 mm y 26,4 ± 8,7 mm (p < 0,0001), 42,5 ± 14,1 mm y 64,5 ± 25,9 mm (p < 0,0001) y 36,5 ± 17,4 mm y 46,7 ± 18,5 mm (p = 0,012), respectivamente. También existió una mejora significativa en el grosor diafragmático mínimo y máximo (p < 0,05) pero no en la fracción de engrosamiento diafragmático tras tratamiento (p = 0,341). Conclusione El tratamiento con indacaterol/glicopirronio 85/43 mcg cada 24 horas durante 3 meses mejoró la movilidad diafragmática en paciente con EPOC con obstrucción moderada-muy grave al flujo aéreo. La ET puede ser útil en la valoración de la repuesta al tratamiento de estos pacientes (AU)

Ultrasound assessment of diaphragmatic dynamics in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after treatment with indacaterol/glycopyrronium.

INTRODUCTION: Air trapping is one of the main determinants of dyspnea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). An increase in air trapping leads to a change in the normal diaphragmatic configuration with associated functional impairment. Said deterioration improves with bronchodilator therapy. Chest ultrasound (CU) has been used to assess changes in diaphragmatic motility after short-acting bronchodilator therapy, but there are no previous studies on these changes after long-acting bronchodilator treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Interventional prospective study. Patients with COPD and moderate to very severe ventilatory obstruction were included in the study. Diaphragm motion and thickness were assessed by CU before and after 3 months of treatment with indacaterol/glycopirronium 85/43 mcg. RESULTS: Thirty patients were included (56.6% men, mean age: 69.4 ± 6.2 years). Pre- and post-treatment diaphragmatic mobility measured during resting breathing, deep breathing, and nasal sniffing were 19.9 ± 7.1 mm and 26.4 ± 8.7 mm (p < 0.0001); 42.5 ± 14.1 mm and 64.5 ± 25.9 mm (p < 0.0001); and 36.5 ± 17.4 mm and 46.7 ± 18.5 mm (p = 0.012), respectively. A significant improvement was also found in the minimum and maximum diaphragm thickness (p < 0.05), but there were no significant changes in the diaphragmatic shortening fraction after treatment (p = 0.341). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with indacaterol/glycopyrronium 85/43 mcg every 24 hours for 3 months improved diaphragmatic mobility in patients with COPD with moderate to very severe airway obstruction. CU may be useful for assessing the response to treatment in these patients.

Discordancia del tratamiento de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica según la guía GesEPOC vs. GOLD / Discordance in treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following GesEPOC Guideline vs. GOLD

Introducción En España, el tratamiento farmacológico de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica se basa en la Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) y la Guía española de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (GesEPOC). El objetivo principal de este estudio fue evaluar la concordancia entre los tratamientos de inicio asignados por GOLD y GesEPOC. Material y métodos Estudio de simulación. Se emplearon las siguientes variables: FEV1%, exacerbaciones, disnea inicial, eosinofilia en sangre, antecedente de asma y grado de reversibilidad en la prueba broncodilatadora. Cuatro neumólogos clasificaron/asignaron un tratamiento a cada paciente (2 de ellos según GOLD y 2 según GesEPOC). Se calculó el coeficiente Kappa de Cohen global. Resultados Se incluyeron 467 pacientes. La concordancia entre el tratamiento recomendado por GOLD y GesEPOC fue pobre (Kappa: 0,17, IC 95%: 0,12-0,23). Conclusión Existe una pobre concordancia entre GOLD y GesEPOC a la hora de iniciar tratamiento en los pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (AU)

Introduction Pharmacological treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Spain is usually chosen according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) or Spanish guidelines for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (GesEPOC). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the degree of concordance between treatment for newly diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients according to GOLD and GesEPOC. Material and methods Simulation study. The following variables were used: FEV1%, exacerbations, dyspnoea at first evaluation, blood eosinophilia, personal history of asthma, and degree of bronchodilator reversibility. Four investigators classified and assigned a treatment to each patient (2 using GOLD criteria and the other 2 using GesEPOC). Global Kappa index was calculated. Results The database included 467 patients. Agreement between treatment decided using GOLD and GesEPOC was poor (Kappa: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.12-0.23). Conclusion There is a poor agreement between GOLD and GesEPOC recommendations for initial chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment (AU)

Discordance in treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following GesEPOC guideline vs. GOLD.

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacological treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Spain is usually chosen according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) or Spanish guidelines for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (GesEPOC). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the degree of concordance between treatment for newly diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients according to GOLD and GesEPOC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Simulation study. The following variables were used: FEV1%, exacerbations, dyspnoea at first evaluation, blood eosinophilia, personal history of asthma, and degree of bronchodilator reversibility. Four investigators classified and assigned a treatment to each patient (2 using GOLD criteria and the other 2 using GesEPOC). Global Kappa index was calculated. RESULTS: The database included 467 patients. Agreement between treatment decided using GOLD and GesEPOC was poor (Kappa: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.12-0.23). CONCLUSION: There is a poor agreement between GOLD and GesEPOC recommendations for initial chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment.

Prognostic value of lung ultrasound and its link with inflammatory biomarkers in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

BACKGROUND: Lung ultrasound (LUS) has shown to correlate well with the findings obtained by chest computed tomography (CT) in acute-phase COVID-19. Although there is a significant correlation between blood biomarkers and CT radiological findings, a potential correlation between biochemical parameters and LUS images is still unknown. Our purpose was to evaluate whether mortality can be predicted from either of two lung ultrasound scoring systems (LUSS) as well as the potential association between lung lesions visualised by LUS and blood biomarkers. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study on 45 patients aged>70 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection who required hospitalisation. LUS was carried out at admission and on day 7, when the clinical course was favourable or earlier in case of worsening. Disease severity was scored by means of LUSS in 8 (LUSS8) and in 12 (LUSS12) quadrants. LUS and blood draw for inflammatory marker analysis were performed at the same time. RESULTS: LUSS8 vs LUSS12 predicted mortality in 93.3% vs 91.1% of the cases; their associated odds ratios (OR) were 1.67 (95% CI 1.20-2.31) and 1.57 (95% CI 1.10-2.23), respectively. The association between biochemical parameters and LUSS scores was significant for ferritin; the OR for LUSS12 was 1.005 (95% CI 1.001-1.009) and for LUSS8 1.005 (95% CI 1.0-1.1), using thresholds for both of them. CONCLUSIONS: The prognostic capacity of LUSS12 does not surpass that of LUSS8. There is a correlation between ferritin levels and LUSS.

Dyslipidaemia and other cardiovascular risk factors in relation to manifest cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Canary Islands. / Relación entre la dislipidemia y otros factores de riesgo cardiovasculares conocidos con la presencia de enfermedad cardiovascular en pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica de las Islas Canarias.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease has a negative impact on the vital prognosis of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), where dyslipidaemia (DLP) and arterial hypertension (AHT) are considered the most prevalent risk factors. The objective of this study was 1) to assess the relationship between diagnosed DLP and cardiovascular disease in COPD patients and compare it with other known cardiovascular risk factors and 2) to determine the relationship between the different cardiovascular comorbidities and the severity groups according to the GOLD 2017 classification. METHODS: A cross-sectional, observational study was performed in 454 outpatients with COPD during their follow up. We calculated the prevalence of each of the cardiovascular comorbidities and the probability of each of the cardiovascular risk factors to occur jointly with a vascular disease (RRij). RESULTS: A total of 66.7% of the patients had DLP, whereby DLP was related to cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) (RRij 1.36, P=.0054), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (RRij 1.34, P=.00023), and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) (RRij 1.38, P=.00015). AHT was mostly related to CVA (RRij 1.41, P=.0014) and CKD (RRij 1.42, P<.0001). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) correlated with PAD (RRij 1.90, P=.0001), heart failure (HF) (RRij 1,74, P=.0002), and CKD (RRij 1.76, P<.0001), and obesity was associated with HF (RRij 1.60, P=.0009) and CKD (RRij 1.54, P=.0001). CONCLUSION: DLP was related to CVA, CKD, and PAD. AHT and T2DM are the conditions that mostly relate to HF and CVA.

Applicability of the COPD-LUCSS-DLCO score for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Analysis in standard clinical practice conditions. / Aplicabilidad del score COPD-LUCSS-DLCO en pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica: análisis en condiciones de práctica clínica habitual.

INTRODUCTION: The COPD-LUCSS-DLCO score had been validated as a predictive tool capable of identifying patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a high mortality risk associated with lung cancer (LC); however, studies have not been conducted yet on its use in standard clinical practice. The aim of this study was to estimate the COPD-LUCSS-DLCO scores for patients with COPD treated in Pulmonology consultations and to determine the incidence of LC in each of the subgroups. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted with a cohort of 159 patients with COPD in Pulmonology outpatient follow-up consultations. We calculated the COPD-LUCSS-DLCO score (0-8) for each patient, with low risk considered at 0-3 points and high risk at ≥3.5 points. We calculated the incidence rate of LC in each of the subgroups. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of the patients had a high-risk score. We estimated an overall LC rate of 30 per 1000 patients with COPD-year (95% CI: 16-53), 44 per 1000 patients with COPD-year (95% CI: 18-76) among those categorised as high risk and 17 per 1000 patients with COPD-year among those categorised as low risk (95% CI: 4-50). CONCLUSIONS: The use of the COPD-LUCSS-DLCO score in standard clinical practice could help detect patients with a greater risk of developing LC, which could help to better manage cases in an LC screening programme.

Clinical characteristics of COPD patients with early-onset desaturation in the 6-minute walk test.

BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced desaturation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently has prognostic implications. Desaturation within the first minute of the walk 6-minute walk test will probably also occur in daily life activities and translate into hypoxaemic respiratory failure at rest in later years. This study aimed at comparing these patients with those who desaturate after the first minute and determine potential markers. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective study collecting data on respiratory function tests, cardiovascular comorbidity, body mass index, pack-year index, 6-minute walk test outcomes, BODE index, and Charlson comorbidity index. Patients who desaturated during the first minute of the test were referred to as early desaturators compared to the non-early ones. RESULTS: We observed a higher mean body mass index in early desaturating patients, and an inverse relation as to the body mass index categories <25, 25-29, and ≥30. Early desaturators had a lower FEV1/FVC index. The mean distance walked in the test was shorter in early than in non-early desaturators, and they desaturated more deeply. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obesity, as determined by body mass index, seem to behave like markers for early desaturation. This simple anthropometric measure might indicate point to potential early desaturation in COPD patients.

Incidence of cancer in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. / Incidencia de cáncer en pacientes ambulatorios con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the overall incidence of cancer is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyse the incidence of cancer (pulmonary or extrapulmonary) in patients with COPD during follow-up in a specialised outpatient unit, as well as to assess its relationship with the degree of airflow obstruction. METHODOLOGY: A prospective observational study was conducted with a cohort of 308 patients with COPD in pulmonology outpatient follow-up consultations from January 2012 to December 2015. The diagnosed malignancies during this period were divided into pulmonary and extrapulmonary. RESULTS: The overall incidence rate of cancer, lung cancer and extrapulmonary cancer were 10.3, 3.4 and 7.3 cases per 1,000 patients with COPD per year, respectively. The most common cancers were lung cancer (31%), genitourinary tract cancer (29%) and gastrointestinal cancer (21%). Mild-moderate stages (gradeI-II of the 2009 GOLD classification) and the increase in the pack-year index (PYI) were related to an increase in the onset of malignancies, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.16 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.087-4.309; P=.026) and 1.01 (95% CI: 1.002-1.031; P=.023), respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of extrapulmonary cancer in patients with COPD was twice that of lung cancer; stagesI-II of the 2009 GOLD classification and the PYI were significantly related to the onset of malignancies.

Impact of 13-valent pneumococal conjugate polysaccharide vaccination in exacerbations rate of COPD patients with moderate to severe obstruction. / Impacto de la vacunación neumocócica de polisacáridos conjugados 13-valente en las exacerbaciones de pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica con obstrucción al flujo aéreo moderada-muy grave.

OBJECTIVE: One of the major microorganisms described as the cause of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is Streptococcus pneumoniae. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate polysaccharide vaccine (PCV13) on COPD patients with regard to the development of exacerbations and the possible differential effect according to the patient's phenotype. METHODS: Prospective observational study of patients with COPD and FEV1 ≤ 65% and 18-month follow-up. Main variables: vaccination status with PCV13, phenotype "exacerbator" or "non-exacerbator", number of exacerbations, hospitalization and deaths. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed according to the nature of the variable and an inferential analysis with CI95%, bivariate contrasts, and multivariate analysis. Significance level 5%. The statistical packages EPIDAT 3.0 and SPSS version 21.0 were used. RESULTS: 121 patients were included. Twenty-four percent were labeled as phenotype exacerbator. 36% were vaccinated with PCV13. During follow-up, 68% of patients had at least one exacerbation and 27% required hospitalization. We observed similarity (p> 0.05) in the number of exacerbations and deaths; however, the percentage of hospitalization in the vaccinated was 18%, compared to 32% in the non-vaccinated group. In the multivariate adjustment (controlling for the phenotype), an adjusted OR of 2.77 risk of hospitalization was observed in the non-vaccinated group (p = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: Non-vaccination with PCV13 almost triples the risk of hospitalization in patients with COPD.