AI Article Synopsis

  • Primary care centers play a key role in identifying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among smokers aged 40-65 in Greece, with a study finding a prevalence of 10.6% in a sample of 1,100 people.
  • The research showed that 7.5% of participants were newly diagnosed, with women experiencing more severe respiratory and depressive symptoms despite smoking less, while younger patients under 55 had more frequent wheezing and exacerbations compared to older patients.
  • Overall, the findings highlight the importance of primary healthcare in early COPD detection, particularly among smokers who may not recognize their symptoms or seek medical help.

Article Abstract

Primary care centers are ideal positions to identify chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We determined the COPD prevalence among ever-smokers aged 40-65 years attending a 2-year program conducted in 22 Greek primary healthcare centers and made comparisons between genders, patients less than or greater than 55 years, and newly or previously diagnosed COPD patients. A total of 117 persons, after studying 1100 people, were diagnosed with previously unknown or known COPD, providing a COPD prevalence of 10.6% among the study population. In all, 7.5% of the participants were newly diagnosed with COPD. Women with COPD reported smoking less but experienced worse respiratory and depressive symptoms than men. A total of 19% of the COPD population below 55 years experienced wheezing and exacerbations more frequently than older patients. Newly diagnosed COPD patients were significantly younger, reported a significant burden of symptoms without seeking medical help. Primary health care has a crucial role in the early detection of COPD among unsuspecting smokers.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7955112PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41533-021-00226-yDOI Listing

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