Zeynep Mısırlıgil1, Arif Çımrın2, Hakan Günen3, Tevfik Özlü4, Aykut Çilli5, Levent Akyıldız6, Hasan Bayram7, Bilun Gemicioğlu8, Esra Uzaslan9, Öznur Abadoğlu10, Mecit Suerdem11. 1. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey. 2. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. 3. Clinic of Chest Diseases, Istanbul Umraniye Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. 4. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. 5. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey. 6. Clinic of Chest Diseases, Private Mardin Park Hospital, Mardin, Turkey. 7. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey. 8. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Cerrahpasa Medicine, Istanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey. 9. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey. 10. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey. 11. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Despite the presentation of similar symptoms, the airway diseases have different underlying pathophysiological processes and must be distinguished to enable the administration of appropriate treatment. In several studies the clinician- and patient-related causes of poor compliance to treatment in asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients have been evaluated. This study aimed to determine the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of newly diagnosed treatment-naïve asthma and COPD patients in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This national, multicentre, prospective, observational study was conducted in 122 centres. A questionnaire including items related to demographic, clinical, laboratory parameters was applied. All patients were intended to be followed-up for 12 months. RESULT: 1892 adult patients (1116 asthma and 776 COPD) from 122 centres were enrolled. Overall 95%, 86% and 65% of intermittent, mild persistent and moderate persistent asthma patients were over-treated. Among COPD patients, the percentages of over-treated patients were 66%, 79% and 82% for those with GOLD stage A, B and C. Physicians' adherence to guidelines was appropriate in 93% of severe persistent asthma patients and 89% of GOLD stage D COPD patients. Among patients with high compliance to treatment, proportion of asthma patients with total control was 44% and that of COPD patients at GOLD stage A was 41%. In consecutive two visits, this figure increased to 52% and 63% in asthma patients and 54% and 50% in COPD patients. CONCLUSIONS: The main findings are: (a) patients are frequently over-treated and (b) patients do not adhere to visits as expected, in both asthma and COPD.
INTRODUCTION: Despite the presentation of similar symptoms, the airway diseases have different underlying pathophysiological processes and must be distinguished to enable the administration of appropriate treatment. In several studies the clinician- and patient-related causes of poor compliance to treatment in asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients have been evaluated. This study aimed to determine the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of newly diagnosed treatment-naïve asthma and COPD patients in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This national, multicentre, prospective, observational study was conducted in 122 centres. A questionnaire including items related to demographic, clinical, laboratory parameters was applied. All patients were intended to be followed-up for 12 months. RESULT: 1892 adult patients (1116 asthma and 776 COPD) from 122 centres were enrolled. Overall 95%, 86% and 65% of intermittent, mild persistent and moderate persistent asthma patients were over-treated. Among COPD patients, the percentages of over-treated patients were 66%, 79% and 82% for those with GOLD stage A, B and C. Physicians' adherence to guidelines was appropriate in 93% of severe persistent asthma patients and 89% of GOLD stage D COPD patients. Among patients with high compliance to treatment, proportion of asthma patients with total control was 44% and that of COPD patients at GOLD stage A was 41%. In consecutive two visits, this figure increased to 52% and 63% in asthma patients and 54% and 50% in COPD patients. CONCLUSIONS: The main findings are: (a) patients are frequently over-treated and (b) patients do not adhere to visits as expected, in both asthma and COPD.