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COPD: Practical aspects of case finding, diagnosing and monitoring

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-22, 02:10 authored by Walters, JAE, Crockett, AJ, McDonald, VM

Key points:

  • Diagnosis of COPD is often delayed and a high proportion of cases in primary care are unrecognised.
  • COPD is often misdiagnosed in primary care, probably as a result of not using spirometry for diagnosis.
  • Screening systematically or opportunistically with questionnaires can be used to case-find in general practice. Expiratory flow devices are used to determine the need for diagnostic testing.
  • Spirometry is essential to diagnose COPD. COPD is present if the post- bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio is below 0.7 and FEV1 is less than 80% predicted.
  • Telling smokers their ‘lung age’ after spirometry increases their chances of successfully quitting.
  • The results of spirometry together with symptoms and exacerbation frequency guides the management of COPD.
  • Complex lung function tests to distinguish between asthma and COPD are not usually required.

    • History

    Publication title

    Medicine Today

    Volume

    14

    Pagination

    32-40

    ISSN

    1443-430X

    Department/School

    Tasmanian School of Medicine

    Publisher

    Medicine Today

    Place of publication

    Australia

    Rights statement

    Copyright 2013 Medicine Today

    Repository Status

    • Restricted

    Socio-economic Objectives

    Clinical health not elsewhere classified

    Usage metrics

      University Of Tasmania

      Categories

      Keywords

      COPDspirometry

      Licence

      In Copyright

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