Cross-Sectional Survey of COPD Risk in Undiagnosed Adults in Saudi Arabia Using the Arabic COPD-PS

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common disease and the third leading cause of death, although it remains misdiagnosed and untreated. Individuals at risk of developing COPD, when detected early, have a significant chance to alter the progression of the disease by prompt medical and non-medical care.

To evaluate the risk level of COPD in Saudi Arabia regions by using an Arabic-translated COPD Population Screener (COPD-PS) questionnaire.

This is a cross-sectional study conducted from October 12, 2023, to October 29, 2024. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit participants. This study utilized a self-administered Arabic-translated version of the COPD-PS, which evaluates various subjects related to COPD.

In this study of 2002 participants, a majority of them 74.39% (n = 1494) were from the Western region of Saudi Arabia. Most participants 76.72% (n = 1536) were below 35 years of age, and over half 57.39% (n = 1149) were non-smokers. The result of the COPD-PS scoring indicated 88.76% (n = 1777) of participants at low risk of COPD, while 11.24% (n = 225) participants were at high risk of COPD. Also, this study showed a statistically significant difference regarding the risk level of COPD among regions (p < 0.0001). In addition, the risk level of COPD and smoking status revealed a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.0001). Further analysis demonstrated that the risk level of COPD has an association with the existence of Diabetes/Hypertension (p = 0.0013).

The Arabic-translated version of COPD-PS is an effective tool for screening the risk level of COPD among the Arabic responders in Saudi Arabia. There are various factors, including smoking status, the existence of Diabetes/ Hypertension, and regions associated with higher COPD-PS risk.