COPD May Be Frequent in Conditions of Co-morbidity

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be frequent in conditions of co-morbidity in patients treated for various diseases, according to recent research out of Japan.

Despite being one of the leading causes of death and disability, COPD is often misdiagnosed or not recognized among patients and physicians. Researchers believe this may be a result of the under recognition of spirometry, a test measuring lung function.

Examining the prevalence of airflow limitation and underlying disease in patients with airflow limitation, researchers studied all patients who underwent spirometry at Tottori University Hospital between April 2006 and March 2008. In addition to testing the original disease of the patients, pulmonary function tests, smoking status and respiratory symptoms were all surveyed from medical records.

From their surveying, researchers found that of the patients examined, 15.8 percent showed signs of airflow limitation with a variety of underlying diseases observed.  These include cardiovascular disease, which had the highest prevalence, and gastrointestinal malignant disease, which had the second-highest prevalence.

Furthermore, researchers discovered that COPD may be frequent in conditions of co-morbidity in patients treated for various diseases and COPD patients had a higher prevalence of smoking-related co-morbidities, such as heart disease, cancer, neurologic injuries and gastritis.

Researchers note that attention should be paid to the possibility of the co-existence of COPD in addition to the above diseases and the influence of COPD on these patients.

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