Clinical Phenotypes and Disease-specific Health-related Quality of Life in Patients of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Abstract

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common health issue globally and is expected to increase in the future. The latest Global Initiative for COPD (GOLD) guidelines describe the various phenotypes of COPD. This study assessed the different clinical phenotypes and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with COPD.

Materials and methods: A hospital-based cohort study was conducted among COPD patients of various phenotypes. All patients were evaluated through detailed history, clinical examination, complete blood count, and electrocardiogram (ECG) to fulfill the inclusion and exclusion criteria and categorized into different phenotypes: nonsmoker, nonexacerbator phenotype (NEP), exacerbator phenotype (EP), and asthma-COPD overlap (ACO). Following this, the participants were evaluated based on the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale and COPD assessment test (CAT) score to assess HRQoL at the beginning and after 3 months of standard treatment.

Results: Among the 100 participants, the average age of the participants was 57.85 ± 6.78 years, with male predominance (62%). There was a significant difference in the CAT score and mMRC among the study groups. The CAT score was worst in the ACO group (22.68), with partial improvement (14.26) after 3 months of treatment, still being relatively lower than in other groups.

Conclusion: Patients with ACO had significantly poorer HRQoL compared to those with NEP, EP, and nonsmokers. Hence, patients with ACO, NEP, and EP should be offered a different treatment approach, focusing on the components that exacerbated the symptoms.