Symptom clusters in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Clinical Research
• Symptom Science

Background:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading global cause of mortality.
• While individual COPD symptoms are well-documented, their clustering and interrelationships are less understood.
• Existing research has not fully explored the complex interplay of symptoms experienced by COPD patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and identify common symptom clusters in patients diagnosed with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• To synthesize current literature on the co-occurrence of symptoms in COPD.
• To highlight gaps in research regarding COPD symptomology.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase.
• Studies published between 2005 and 2018 focusing on adult COPD patients and symptom clusters were included.
• Only five studies met the inclusion criteria for this review.

Main Results:

• The review included 596 participants across five studies, with a mean age of 70.49.
• Two primary themes of symptom clusters emerged: psychological (frequently involving anxiety) and respiratory-related (commonly including dyspnea).
• Significant heterogeneity was observed in results, particularly for respiratory symptom clusters, and only one study assessed symptom stability over time.

Conclusions:

• Inconsistent findings across studies may stem from patient heterogeneity, varied assessment instruments, and different statistical methods.
• Further research is essential to clarify COPD-related symptom clusters.
• Future studies should investigate the impact of these clusters on physical and cognitive health and their temporal stability.