Impact of Undiagnosed Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma on Symptoms, Quality of Life, Healthcare Use, and Work Productivity

• DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202307-1264oc
• Publication Date: 2023-10-04T18:00:23Z
• Authors: Emily Gerstein; Jared Bierbrier; G. Alex Whitmore; Katherine L. Vand...; Celine Bergeron; Louis-Philippe Bo...; Andreanne Cote; Stephen K. Field; Erika Penz; R. Andrew McIvor; Catherine Lemière; Samir Gupta; Paul Hernandez; Irvin Mayers; Mohit Bhutani; M. Diane Lougheed; Christopher J. Li...; Tanweer Azher; Nicole Ezer; Martha Ainslie; Gonzalo G. Alvarez; Sunita Mulpuru; Shawn D. Aaron

Rationale: A significant proportion of individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma remain undiagnosed. Objectives: The objective this study was to evaluate symptoms, quality life, healthcare use, work productivity in subjects undiagnosed COPD or compared those previously diagnosed, as well healthy control subjects. Methods: This multicenter population-based case-finding randomly recruited adults respiratory symptoms who had no previous history diagnosed lung from 17 Canadian centers using random digit dialing. Participants exceeded symptom thresholds on the Asthma Screening Questionnaire Diagnostic underwent pre- post-bronchodilator spirometry determine if they met diagnostic criteria for asthma. Two groups, a group without symptomatic asthma, were similarly recruited. Measurements Main Results: total 26,905 interviewed, 4,272 eligible. Of these, 2,857 completed spirometry, 595 (21%) Individuals reported greater impact health status daily activities, worse disease-specific general poorer than use burden similar whereas less disabled COPD. Conclusions: Undiagnosed imposes important, unmeasured burdens system is associated poor negative effects productivity.