COPD in the population under surveillance by the Portuguese Sentinel Practice Network from 2007 to 2009
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v28i4.10953Keywords:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Incidence, Sentinel Surveillance, EpidemiologyAbstract
COPD IN THE POPULATION UNDER SURVEILLANCE BY THE PORTUGUESE SENTINEL PRACTICE NETWORK FROM 2007 TO 2009 Objectives: To determine the number of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-related consultations among patients registered in the Portuguese Sentinel Practice Network (PSPN) between 2007 and 2009, to calculate the reasons for visits re- lated to COPD, to estimate the incidence of COPD, and to characterize COPD-related therapy. Study design: Dynamic cohort. Setting: Muticentric. Participants: Patients 45 years old from the lists of general practitioners in the PSPN between 2007 and 2009. Methods: A study of COPD-related consultations over a three-year period, reporting the frequency, the reasons for consulta- tion and treatments was conducted. The estimated incidence rate of COPD was calculated and extrapolated to the Portuguese population. The chi-square test to compare proportions and the t-student test for comparison of means were used. Results: During the study period, the population under observation was 106,953 individuals and 2,916 consultations related to COPD were reported. Of these, 62.5% were for males. New cases of COPD were reported in 173 persons 45 years old, of which 59.5% were males, with a median age of 66.9 years,. No significant age difference was found between genders. We cal- culated an annual incidence rate of 161.8/100,000 (95% CI: 139.4-187.7), higher in men. The reasons for consulting were re- newal of prescriptions (61.9%), follow-up appointments (22.9%) and exacerbation of symptoms (15.6%). Medication was pre- scribed in 87.3% of consultations, mainly for inhaled bronchodilators, including anti-cholinergic drugs (25.1%) and adrener- gic agonists (20.3%). Conclusions: There were more COPD-related visits and a higher incidence rate of COPD for men, though the value observed was lower than expected. This was probably due to under-diagnosis or to the fact that patients who do not attend Primary Health Care clinics were excluded. The prescription pattern found was consistent with the recommendations of the Global Ini- tiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.Downloads
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