<p>Demographic, Clinical and Management Characteristics of Newly Diagnosed COPD Patients in Turkey: A Real-Life Study</p>

Abstract

In order to determine the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of newly diagnosed treatment-naïve asthma and COPD patients in Turkey, a multicenter study in 2012 was initiated. We aimed to investigate the characteristics and therapies of COPD patients in the original study in more detail. Patients and Methods: This nationwide , multicentric, non-interventional, prospective, reallife observational cohort study was conducted in 122 centers. The newly diagnosed patients were not receiving any treatment before the recruitment. Their general characteristics, the combined GOLD 2011 COPD categories and exacerbation histories were noted. The patients were followed up with 3 voluntary visits for 1 year. Their adherence to the inhaled treatment according to GOLD 2011 was evaluated during follow-up visits. Results: The study included 776 COPD patients. Their mean age was 59.4±9.1 years, and 11.9% of the patients were female. 35.1% of the patients were in the GOLD 2011 C and D category. 12.6% are frequent exacerbators, and 52.8% had at least one comorbid condition. 71.8% overtreatment rate was detected. Their attendance rates for three follow-up visits became 55.9%, 32.9% and 18.7%, respectively. The adherence rate to the treatment was measured as 81.9%. Conclusion: Although these patients were diagnosed for the first time, the GOLD C and D categories and frequent exacerbator phenotype were found at a high rate. They were usually prescribed an overtreatment regimen. We think that newly diagnosed COPD patients should be evaluated carefully, and best effort should be made to treat these patients in accordance with the recommendations of the major COPD guidelines.

The narrative review of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease management in Turkey: medical treatment, pulmonary rehabilitation and endobronchial volume reduction

“…It was demonstrated that more than 70% of the patients were overtreated. The most commonly prescribed medication was LABA+LAMA+ICS with a rate of 54.9% (10). In another multi-center cross-sectional study from Turkey called ALPHABET, 1610 patients with COPD were recruited and it was reported that 41.1% of the patients with COPD were in group A according to the GOLD 2013.…”

“…The narrative review of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease management in Turkey: medical treatment, pulmonary rehabilitation and endobronchial volume reduction national studies (8,9). In a recent multicenter study from Turkey, it was found that 56.3% of 776 patients with newly diagnosed COPD were current smokers, 38.1% of whom were ex-smokers and 7.2% had history of biomass exposure (10). Biomass such as organic fuels usually cause indoor air pollution in rural areas of Turkey.…”

Level of Adherence to the Gold Strategy Document for the Management of Patients with Acute Exacerbation of COPD in Sahiwal

“…2,3 However, early diagnosis and good treatment improve the quality of life and the average life expectancy of such patients. 4 The majority of COPD cases experience frequent exacerbations which deteriorate their health and lung reserves. Therefore, it is highly recommended to standardize COPD and its exacerbation treatment protocols according to the Conflict of interest: The authors declared no conflict of interest exists.…”

“…DOI: https://doi.org/10.37018/VBDJ8042 national or international guidelines. 4 Out of all the current COPD treatment guidelines, Global Initiative for obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) recommendations are the most widely used by clinicians. 5 This strategy paper is helpful not only in the management of stable COPD but also for its exacerbations.…”

“…6 There is a considerable extent of dissociations between efficient COPD therapies (especially GOLD) and clinical prescriptions for the management of COPD patients. 4,6,7 Only about 40-60% of the COPD patients get treated according to the recommended treatment guidelines. 5 The main purpose of this retrospective crosssectional study was to assess the level of adherence to the GOLD strategy document for the management of patients with acute exacerbations of COPD in DHQ Teaching Hospital, Sahiwal.…”