[Screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by electronic mini-spirometry in general practice]

Screening for COPD is currently considered to be insufficient. Electronic mini-spirometers allow screening for COPD in general practice.

To assess the prevalence of COPD in a population of at-risk patients in general practice (GP) and to identify the high-risk factors for the disease.

A cross-sectional study was performed in a GP setting. Patients aged between 40 and 75years with a history of smoking, occupational exposure to toxic substances or chronic respiratory symptoms were offered airflow assessments by electronic mini-spirometry. For any value of FEV1/FEV6 less than 70 %, screening for COPD was considered as positive.

Of the 778 patients seen during routine consultations, 273 (35.1 %) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The test was positive in 128 of the eligible patients (46.9 %). The prevalence of proven COPD (ratio<70 %) was 13.9 % (38 patients). The high-risk factors were age over 60years (P=0.03), body mass index over 28 (P=0.04), smoking history of more than 30pack-years (P<0.0001), presence of clinical signs (P<0.0001) and industrial exposure to toxic substances (P=0.03).

Targeted screening of patients with risk factors for COPD can be performed in a GP setting. An electronic mini-spirometer is a reliable and inexpensive screening tool.