Prevalence and burden of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease managed in primary care.
<h4>Background & aims</h4>Breathlessness is a primary clinical feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to describe the frequency of and factors associated with breathlessness in a cohort of COPD patients identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalin...
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doaj-fda6d5cd704e467fba8809744eac09a22021-03-04T10:02:59ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0191e8554010.1371/journal.pone.0085540Prevalence and burden of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease managed in primary care.Hana MüllerováChao LuHao LiMaggie Tabberer<h4>Background & aims</h4>Breathlessness is a primary clinical feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to describe the frequency of and factors associated with breathlessness in a cohort of COPD patients identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), a general practice electronic medical records database.<h4>Methods</h4>Patients with a record of COPD diagnosis after January 1 2008 were identified in the CPRD. Breathlessness was assessed using the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale, with scoring ranging from 1-5, which has been routinely administered as a part of the regular assessment of patients with COPD in the general practice since April 2009. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression estimated independent associations with dyspnoea. Negative binomial regression evaluated a relationship between breathlessness and exacerbation rate during follow-up.<h4>Results</h4>The total cohort comprised 49,438 patients diagnosed with COPD; 40,425 (82%) had any MRC dyspnoea grade recorded. Of those, 22,770 (46%) had moderate-to-severe dyspnoea (MRC ≥ 3). Breathlessness increased with increasing airflow limitation; however, moderate-to-severe dyspnoea was also observed in 32% of patients with mild airflow obstruction. Other factors associated with increased dyspnoea grade included female gender, older age (≥ 70 years), obesity (BMI ≥ 30), history of moderate-to-severe COPD exacerbations, and frequent visits to the general practitioner. Patients with worse breathlessness were at higher risk of COPD exacerbations during follow-up.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Moderate-to-severe dyspnoea was reported by >40% of patients diagnosed with COPD in primary care. Presence of dyspnoea, including even a perception of mild dyspnoea (MRC = 2), was associated with increased disease severity and a higher risk of COPD exacerbations during follow-up.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/24427316/?tool=EBI |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Hana Müllerová Chao Lu Hao Li Maggie Tabberer |
spellingShingle |
Hana Müllerová Chao Lu Hao Li Maggie Tabberer Prevalence and burden of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease managed in primary care. PLoS ONE |
author_facet |
Hana Müllerová Chao Lu Hao Li Maggie Tabberer |
author_sort |
Hana Müllerová |
title |
Prevalence and burden of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease managed in primary care. |
title_short |
Prevalence and burden of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease managed in primary care. |
title_full |
Prevalence and burden of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease managed in primary care. |
title_fullStr |
Prevalence and burden of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease managed in primary care. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Prevalence and burden of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease managed in primary care. |
title_sort |
prevalence and burden of breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease managed in primary care. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS ONE |
issn |
1932-6203 |
publishDate |
2014-01-01 |
description |
<h4>Background & aims</h4>Breathlessness is a primary clinical feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to describe the frequency of and factors associated with breathlessness in a cohort of COPD patients identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), a general practice electronic medical records database.<h4>Methods</h4>Patients with a record of COPD diagnosis after January 1 2008 were identified in the CPRD. Breathlessness was assessed using the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale, with scoring ranging from 1-5, which has been routinely administered as a part of the regular assessment of patients with COPD in the general practice since April 2009. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression estimated independent associations with dyspnoea. Negative binomial regression evaluated a relationship between breathlessness and exacerbation rate during follow-up.<h4>Results</h4>The total cohort comprised 49,438 patients diagnosed with COPD; 40,425 (82%) had any MRC dyspnoea grade recorded. Of those, 22,770 (46%) had moderate-to-severe dyspnoea (MRC ≥ 3). Breathlessness increased with increasing airflow limitation; however, moderate-to-severe dyspnoea was also observed in 32% of patients with mild airflow obstruction. Other factors associated with increased dyspnoea grade included female gender, older age (≥ 70 years), obesity (BMI ≥ 30), history of moderate-to-severe COPD exacerbations, and frequent visits to the general practitioner. Patients with worse breathlessness were at higher risk of COPD exacerbations during follow-up.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Moderate-to-severe dyspnoea was reported by >40% of patients diagnosed with COPD in primary care. Presence of dyspnoea, including even a perception of mild dyspnoea (MRC = 2), was associated with increased disease severity and a higher risk of COPD exacerbations during follow-up. |
url |
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/24427316/?tool=EBI |
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