Airway Obstruction in Primary Care Patients: Need for Implementing Spirometry Use

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Early detection of airway obstruction (AO) is crucial in adult primary care settings.
• A significant portion of patients with AO may not present with typical respiratory symptoms or prior diagnoses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence of airway obstruction (AO) in an adult primary care population.
• To identify predictors of AO in patients consulting general practitioners (GPs).

Main Methods:

• 912 adult patients were recruited; 583 underwent respiratory questionnaires and spirometry.
• Physician diagnoses categorized patients into COPD, asthma, asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS), or no respiratory diagnosis groups.
• Airway obstruction was defined as FEV1/FVC < 70%.

Main Results:

• Prevalence rates were 12.5% for COPD, 7.8% for asthma, and 3.6% for ACOS.
• Overall, 16.3% of the sample exhibited airway obstruction, with varying severity.
• A high percentage of obstructed subjects (up to 60%) had no prior respiratory symptoms or diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Airway obstruction is highly prevalent in primary care settings.
• Many individuals with AO remain undiagnosed, emphasizing the importance of screening.
• Wheezing, sputum production, older age, and male gender are significant predictors of AO.