COPD Exacerbations Before and During COVID-19 in France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US

• Published in: International Journal of COPD
• Main Authors: Martinez FJ, Papi A, Welte T, Singh D, Galkin DV, Guasconi A, Pirondi S, Georges G, Imperato J, Hermans R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2024-06-01
• Subjects: copd exacerbation; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; covid-19; electronic health records; real-world study
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/copd-exacerbations-before-and-during-covid-19-in-france-germany-italy--peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-COPD

Fernando J Martinez,1 Alberto Papi,2 Tobias Welte3,4 ,† Dave Singh,5 Dmitry V Galkin,6 Alessandro Guasconi,7 Stefania Pirondi,7 George Georges,7 Joseph Imperato,8 Ruben Hermans9 1Weill Cornell Medicine, New York–Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA; 2Research Center on Asthma and COPD, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; 3Pneumonology and Infectiology, Member of the German Center of Lung Research, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; 4Biomedical Research in End Stage and Obstructive Lung Disease, German Center for Lung Research, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; 5Medicines Evaluations Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester University Foundation Hospitals Trust, Manchester, UK; 6Global Clinical Development, Chiesi USA, Cary, NC, USA; 7Global Clinical Development, Chiesi Farmaceutici, S.p.A, Parma, Italy; 8Medical Affairs, IQVIA Inc, New York, NY, USA; 9Medical Affairs, IQVIA Inc, London, UK†Prof. Tobias We 50% in 2020 compared with 2019. The proportions of patients with an exacerbation increased in most countries in 2021. Across each country, seasonal exacerbation increases seen during autumn and winter in pre-pandemic years were absent during the first year of the pandemic. The percentage of patients filling COPD prescriptions across each country increased by 4.53– 22.13% in 2019 to 9.94– 34.17% in 2021.Conclusion: Early, steep declines in exacerbation rates occurred in 2020 versus 2019 across all five countries and were accompanied by a loss of the seasonal pattern of exacerbation.Keywords: COPD exacerbation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COVID-19, electronic health records, real-world study