Basic assessment of chronic cough in primary care and referral pathways of patients to different specialists: plain language summary of publication.

People with (a cough lasting more than 8 weeks) are often referred to different specialists and undergo numerous diagnostic tests, but clear guidance is lacking. This work summarizes a consensus (an agreement) among medical specialists who are involved in managing people with : physicians (family doctors), pulmonologists (doctors who specialize in lung conditions), allergists (medical professionals specializing in allergies) and ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists. They discussed how to perform a basic assessment of people with in (day-to-day healthcare given by a general practitioner or family doctor) and how to refer them to different specialists based on clinical findings or test results.

Basic assessment of chronic cough in primary care and referral pathways of patients to different specialists.

Background: Chronic cough (CC; cough that lasts 8 weeks or longer) poses major effective assessment challenges. Assessment of CC may vary considerably among medical specialists.

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate similarities and consistency of responses across different specialists when performing a basic assessment of CC patients in primary care, and referring patients based on clinical findings or test results.

Correlation between disease severity factors and EQ-5D utilities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Purpose: Impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is associated with poor health outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to determine health utilities in patients with COPD and to identify the variables with the greatest impact.

Methods: This is a pooled analysis of data from 4 observational studies performed in stable COPD patients.

Self-reported daily walking time in COPD: relationship with relevant clinical and functional characteristics.

Background: Quantifying physical activity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is important as physical inactivity is related to poor health outcomes. This study analyzed the relationship between patients' self-reported daily walking time and relevant characteristics related to COPD severity.

Methods: Pooled analysis was performed on data from four observational studies on which daily walking time was gathered from a personal interview.

Chronic Cough.

Chronic cough (CC), or cough lasting more than 8 weeks, has attracted increased attention in recent years following advances that have changed opinions on the prevailing diagnostic and therapeutic triad in place since the 1970s. Suboptimal treatment results in two thirds of all cases, together with a new notion of CC as a peripheral and central hypersensitivity syndrome similar to chronic pain, have changed the approach to this common complaint in routine clinical practice. The peripheral receptors involved in CC are still a part of the diagnostic triad.

Factors associated with a low level of physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Physical activity such as walking is strongly recommended for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: We undertook a multicenter observational study on COPD patients, collecting the daily walking time, COPD severity score (COPDSS), functional status [London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL) questionnaire], health-related quality of life (QoL) rating [five-item EuroQL (EQ-5D) and Airways Questionnaire 20 (AQ20)], and anxiety and depression rating (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Multivariate logistic regression modeling was performed to identify the independent predictors of a low walking time (<30 min/day).

Impairment of quality of life in women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: There is ample evidence of the differences between genders in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that contribute to these differences.

Methods: This was a multi-center, cross-sectional observational study including 4574 patients of 40 years of age and older who attended primary care and pulmonary clinics.

Socioeconomic status and health-related quality of life of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of health and premature death. However, the impact of poor SES on the health status of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not been well determined.

Objective: It was our aim to assess the impact of SES on the quality of life in COPD patients.

Antibiotic treatment of exacerbations of COPD in general practice: long-term impact on health-related quality of life.

Objective: To investigate the impact of exacerbations in health-related quality of life (HRQL) of patients with COPD and to compare the effect of treatment of COPD exacerbations with moxifloxacin (400 mg/day for 5 days) and amoxicillin/clavulanate (500/125 mg 3 times a day for 10 days) on HRQL.

Methods: 229 outpatients with stable COPD (mean age 68.2 years; mean FEV(1) % predicted 49.

Factors determining the quality of life of patients with COPD in primary care.

Objectives: To describe the health-related quality of life (HRQL) in a cohort of COPD patients recruited in primary care and identify the variables of the patients and the treatment associated with impaired HRQL.

Method: Multicenter, observational study of patients with COPD recruited in Primary Care centers. Data regarding HRQL measured by the St.

Use of spirometry and patterns of prescribing in COPD in primary care.

Objective: To investigate the use and interpretation of spirometry in primary care (PC) in the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to identify the treatment schedules administered.

Methods: An observational study was performed in a randomized sample of 251 PC physicians including 2130 patients with COPD. Data on the performance of spirometry and the results and the treatment administered were collected as were sociodemographic and clinical data.

[Use of spirometry in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care].

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the use of spirometry for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care in terms of deficiencies and the requirements for its correct use, and to identify the regimens most commonly used in patients with COPD.

Methods: The study included 839 primary care physicians, each of whom completed 2 questionnaires, one on treatment of COPD and the other on the use of spirometry for diagnosis and follow-up of the disease.

Results: Notable among the results was the high number of questionnaires in which no response was given to the question on classification of patients according to the severity of airway obstruction (10.

Variables associated with recovery from acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: To identify risk factors for late recovery and failure after ambulatory treatment of exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (CB) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: Observational, non-randomised study of risk factors carried out in 2001 and 2002 in Primary Care practices. Patients aged 40 or older diagnosed with an exacerbation of CB or COPD of probable bacterial etiology were included in the study and followed up for 10 days.