Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the third most common cause of death among adults. The main complaints of patients with COPD are breathlessness and a productive cough, and COPD patients often have periods where their symptoms worsen. The Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) strategy categorizes COPD patients into four disease severity groups (GOLD Groups A-D) based on the patients' breathlessness and worsening of symptoms (called exacerbations). In addition, this strategy document proposes treatment choices suitable for each of these four patient groups. The goals of COPD treatment are to reduce symptoms, reduce the periods of exacerbations, and improve health status and exercise tolerance. Despite these recommendations, patients do not always receive the recommended treatment based on their assigned GOLD group. This study aims to describe the patients in each GOLD group and the treatment the patients were prescribed according to those groups.
The purpose of this study is to characterize a COPD population treated in primary care into the Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2013 categories (GOLD A-D) based on patients' symptomatic assessment, spirometric classification, and risk of exacerbations. Category A: low risk (for COPD exacerbations), less symptoms; B: low risk, more symptoms; C: high risk, less symptoms; D: high risk, more symptoms. The GOLD 2013 strategy document also proposes suitable first and secondary choice pharmacologic therapies for each of these groups, however, despite these evidence-based guidelines, observational studies have shown that routine practice of prescribing treatment for COPD is not always aligned with these recommendations. This large population-based observational study aims to characterize a COPD population treated in primary care into the GOLD 2013 groups, and to describe the prescribing practices of respiratory medication by physicians in the U.K. according to those groups. Further, demographic and clinical characteristics, outcomes and health care utilisation will be described by GOLD 2013 group.
Patient demographics
- Respiratory history and disease severity
- Respiratory medications
- Healthcare resource utilisation (including rates of primary-care consultations and unscheduled, non-COPD-related hospitalisations)
Leah Sansbury - Chief Investigator - GlaxoSmithKline - UK
Leah Sansbury - Corresponding Applicant - GlaxoSmithKline - UK
Chanchal Bains - Collaborator - GlaxoSmithKline - UK
Sarah Landis - Collaborator - BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
HES Accident and Emergency;HES Admitted Patient Care;HES Outpatient