CAPTURE with peak flow can identify patients who would benefit from currently available therapy
MONDAY, Oct. 31, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A five-item questionnaire plus peak expiratory flow (PEF) can identify undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published online Oct. 26 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
In an effort to develop a method for identifying undiagnosed COPD requiring treatment, Fernando Martinez, M.D., from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional, case-control study in U.S. pulmonary and primary care clinics that recruited patients from primary care settings. PEF and spirometry were recorded for 186 cases and 160 controls.
The researchers found that a five-item questionnaire (CAPTURE), which assessed exposure, breathing problems, tiring easily, and acute respiratory illnesses, exhibited sensitivity and specificity of 95.7 and 44.4 percent, respectively, for differentiating cases from all controls and sensitivity and specificity of 95.7 and 67.8 percent, respectively, for differentiating cases from non-COPD controls. The sensitivity and specificity of PEF were 88.0 and 77.5 percent, respectively, for differentiating cases from all controls and 88.0 and 90.8 percent, respectively, for differentiating cases from non-COPD controls. Improved sensitivity and specificity were seen for CAPTURE plus PEF (89.7 and 78.1 percent, respectively, for differentiating cases from all controls and 89.7 and 93.1 percent, respectively, for differentiating cases from non-COPD controls).
“CAPTURE with PEF can identify COPD patients who would benefit from currently available therapy and require further diagnostic evaluation,” the authors write.
One author was employed by AstraZeneca.
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