Family Medicine & Primary Care Review

Abstract

2/2021 vol. 23
Original paper

Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in general practice patients in the Central Region of Portugal

Jéssica Andreia Ricardo 1
,
José Augusto Simões 2, 3, 4
,
Luiz Miguel Santiago 1, 3, 5
  1. Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
  2. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
  3. University Clinic of General Practice and Family Medicine of the University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
  4. CINTESIS – Centre for Research in Health Technologies and Service, Porto, Portugal
  5. CEISUC – Centre for Health Studies and Research of the University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
Fam Med Prim Care Rev 2021; 23(2): 220–223
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/fmpcr.2021.105930
Online publish date: 2021/07/06
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Introduction

COPD is a common worldwide condition associated with morbidity and mortality. Its symptoms can be easily overlooked, accounting for an elevated level of under-recognition and under-diagnosis. Knowledge of the prevalence of COPD and the significance of its associated factors in the population enables better management of medical resources. To establish the prevalence of COPD in General Practice patients in the Central Region of Portugal and analyze the correlation with associated factors.

Material and methods

Cross-sectional study of patients’ data with COPD (R95, International Classification for Primary Care 2), anonymously gathered from the official database of the Central Health Administration of Portugal.

Results

Out of 937,817 individuals, 24,148 patients were identified with COPD, a prevalence of 2.57/100,000. 73.7% were above 65 years of age, and 60.2% were males. BMI was recorded in 60.2% patients, FEV1(%) in 8.0%, and smoking pack-years in 37.1%. Age and BMI were significantly negatively correlated (ρ = -0.032, p < 0.001), with the same occurring between age and FEV1(%) (ρ = -0.073, p < 0.05). A strong association of COPD with male gender and older age groups was found.

Conclusions

The prevalence of COPD was significantly higher in males, and age was identified as a risk factor for this condition. Higher age was non-significantly associated with lower FEV1(%) and significantly associated with BMI. The lack of e-records calls for an improvement.

Keywords

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, prevalence, primary health care, smoking, age distribution, gender identity

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