Distribution, temporal stability and association with all-cause mortality of the 2017 GOLD groups in the ECLIPSE cohort

Does the 2017 global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease revision really improve the assessment of Chinese chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients? A multicenter prospective study for more than 5 years

BACKGROUND

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2017 proposed a new classification that reclassified many chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients from group D to B. However, there is a paucity of data related to the comparison between reclassified and non-reclassified COPD patients in terms of long-term prognosis. This study aimed to investigate long-term outcomes of them and determine whether the GOLD 2017 revision improved the assessment of COPD patients.

METHODS

This observational, multicenter, prospective study recruited outpatients at 12 tertiary hospitals in China from November 2016 to February 2018 and followed them up until February 2022. All enrolled patients were classified into groups A to D based on GOLD 2017, and the subjects in group B included patients reclassified from group D to B (group DB) and those remaining in group B (group BB). Incidence rates and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for the exacerbation of COPD and hospitalization in each group.

RESULTS

We included and followed up 845 patients. During the first year of follow-up, the GOLD 2017 classification had a better discrimination ability for different risks of COPD exacerbation and hospitalization than GOLD 2013. Group DB was associated with a higher risk of moderate-to-severe exacerbation (HR = 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.37-2.59, P  <0.001) and hospitalization for COPD exacerbation (HR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.29-3.85, P  = 0.004) than group BB. However, during the last year of follow-up, the differences in the risks of frequent exacerbations and hospitalizations between group DB and BB were not statistically significant (frequent exacerbations: HR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.51-2.03, P  = 0.955; frequent hospitalizations: HR = 1.66, 95% CI = 0.58-4.78, P  = 0.348). The mortality rates of the two groups were both approximately 9.0% during the entire follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

The long-term prognosis of patients reclassified into group B and of those remaining in group B was similar, although patients reclassified from group D to group B had worse short-term outcomes. The GOLD 2017 revision could improve the assessment of Chinese COPD patients in terms of long-term prognosis.

Burden of Disease in Patients with Mild or Mild-to-Moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Group A or B): A Systematic Literature Review

Background

Patients with mild or mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), defined as Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) group A/B, are regarded as having a lower risk of experiencing multiple or severe exacerbations compared with patients classified as GOLD group C/D. Current guidelines suggest that patients in GOLD A/B should commence treatment with a bronchodilator; however, some patients within this population who have a higher disease burden may benefit from earlier introduction of dual bronchodilator or inhaled corticosteroid-containing therapies. This study aimed to provide research-based insights into the burden of disease experienced by patients classified as GOLD A/B, and to identify characteristics associated with poorer outcomes.

Methods

A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to identify evidence (burden of disease and prevalence data) relating to the population of interest (patients with COPD classified as GOLD A/B).

Results

A total of 79 full-text publications and four conference abstracts were included. In general, the rates of moderate and severe exacerbations were higher among patients in GOLD group B than among those in group A. Among patients classified as GOLD A/B, the risk of exacerbation was higher in those with more symptoms (modified Medical Research Council or COPD Assessment Test scales) and more severe airflow limitation (forced expiratory volume in 1 second % predicted).

Conclusion

Data from this SLR provide clear evidence of a heavier burden of disease for patients in GOLD B, compared with those in GOLD A, and highlight factors associated with worse outcomes for patients in GOLD A/B.

Clinical characteristics of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessed using GOLD 2016 and GOLD 2018 classifications: a cross-sectional study in China

Background

In 2017, the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) removed spirometry as a criterion for classifying GOLD risk groups (A–D, low–high risk).

Methods

In this cross-sectional observational study in China, we used the GOLD 2016 (spirometry included) and 2018 (spirometry eliminated) criteria for classifying GOLD risk groups to describe: the proportion of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in each GOLD risk group; disease severity; demographics and comorbidities. Patients aged ≥40 years with a clinical COPD diagnosis for ≥1 year were included. During a single study visit, patients completed the COPD assessment test, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale assessment, and spirometry tests. Demographics, medical history, and treatment data were recorded.

Results

In total, 838 patients were included. Most patients were male (86.4%), ≥65 years old (58.6%), and current or former smokers (78.5%). By GOLD 2016, the highest proportion of patients were Group D (42.8%), followed by B (28.2%). By GOLD 2018, the highest proportion of patients were Group B (57.3%), followed by A (25.5%). A total of 296 patients (35.3%) were reclassified, either from Group C to Group A or from Group D to Group B. Overall, 36.2% of patients were receiving treatment concordant with GOLD 2016 recommendations; 34.1% were not receiving any inhaled medication.

Conclusions

The distribution of COPD severity shifted from a high-risk category (by GOLD 2016) to a low-risk category (by GOLD 2018). The high proportion of patients not receiving maintenance medication reflects a high level of under-treatment of the disease.

Phenotype and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in general population in China: a nationally cross-sectional study

This study aims to investigate the characteristics of the phenotype and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in the general population in China. We analyzed spirometry-confirmed COPD patients who were identified from a population-based, nationally representative sample in China. All participants were measured with airflow limitation severity based on post-bronchodilator FEV₁ percent predicted, bronchodilator responsiveness, exacerbation history, and respiratory symptoms. Among a total of 9134 COPD patients, 90.3% were non-exacerbators, 2.9% were frequent exacerbators without chronic bronchitis, 2.0% were frequent exacerbators with chronic bronchitis, and 4.8% were asthma-COPD overlap. Less than 5% of non-exacerbators ever had pulmonary function testing performed. The utilization rate of inhaled medication in non-exacerbators, exacerbators without chronic bronchitis, exacerbators with chronic bronchitis, and asthma-COPD overlap was 1.4, 23.5, 29.5, and 19.4%, respectively. A comprehensive strategy for the management of COPD patients based on phenotype in primary care is urgently needed.

Changes in and predictors of pain and mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

This longitudinal study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) aimed to investigate changes in pain characteristics (i.e., occurrence, intensity, and interference) and covariates associated with pain from study enrollment to 12 months, and to investigate if the different pain characteristics were associated with 5-year mortality. In total, 267 patients with COPD completed questionnaires five times over 1 year. The mean age of the patients was 63 years (standard deviation: 9.0), 53% were women, and 46% had very severe COPD. Median number of comorbidities was 2.0 (range: 0-11) and 47% of patients reported back/neck pain. Mixed models and Cox regression models were used for analyses. In total, 60% of the patients reported pain at baseline, and 61% at 12 months. The mixed model analyses revealed that those with better forced expiratory volume in 1 s (% predicted), more comorbidities, only primary school education, and more respiratory symptoms reported significantly higher average pain intensity. Moreover, those with more comorbidities, more respiratory symptoms, and more depression reported higher pain interference with function. At the 5-year follow-up, 64 patients (24%) were deceased, and the cumulative 5-year mortality rate was 22% (95% confidence interval [19-25]). Older age, lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (% predicted), and higher pain interference at enrollment were all independently and significantly associated with higher 5-year mortality. Our findings show that many patients with COPD have persistent pain, and awareness regarding comorbidities and how pain interferes with their lives is needed.

Determinants of Clinical COPD Questionnaire in Patients with COPD: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

BACKGROUND

The Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) has been suggested by the Global Initiative of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) as a comprehensive symptom measurement tool, which helps to classify patients in order to direct pharmacological treatment. Therefore, it is essential to understand its determinants.

OBJECTIVES

To identify the determinants of the overall CCQ score and scores of its 3 subdomains among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients from China.

METHODS

A total of 1,241 COPD patients in the outpatient department of the Second Xiangya Hospital in China were recruited. Basic information and clinical data were collected. Differences in the GOLD categories based on Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (mMRC), COPD Assessment Test (CAT), and CCQ were compared. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate determinant factors of the total CCQ and subdomain scores.

RESULTS

The total CCQ and/or separate domain scores significantly differed with sex, age, BMI, smoking status, biomass fuel exposure, exacerbation frequency, mMRC, CAT, and GOLD grades and groups. Subjects with asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) had worse health status based on CCQ than those with COPD alone. As for the 16 subgroups based on GOLD 2017, statistical differences in the total CCQ and functional domain scores were found among subgroups 1A-4A, 1B-4B, and 1D-4D. The mMRC classified much more patients into more symptom groups than CAT and CCQ. No significant difference was observed in the GOLD categories between the CAT and CCQ (cut point = 1.5). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that smoking status, underweight, ACO, post-bronchodilator FEV1% predicted <50%, exacerbation history, and mMRC were independently associated with the total CCQ score. Only 3 variables were significantly associated with the symptom domain: ACO, exacerbations, and mMRC; for the functional domain, age ≥75 years, ACO, post-bronchodilator FEV1% predicted <50%, exacerbation history, and mMRC were significant; female sex, underweight, frequent exacerbations (≥2), and mMRC were significantly associated with higher scores in the mental domain.

CONCLUSIONS

The classification of COPD produced by mMRC, CAT, and CCQ was not identical. Smoking status, underweight, ACO, post-bronchodilator FEV1% predicted <50%, exacerbation history, and mMRC were associated with lower health-related quality of life assessed by the total CCQ score, while different subdomains of CCQ had different determinant factors.

Early Predictors of Mortality in Patients with COPD, in Relation to Respiratory and Non-Respiratory Causes of Death - A National Register Study

Background

Both single factors and composite measures have been suggested to predict mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and there is a need to analyze the relative importance of each variable.

Objective

To explore the predictors of mortality for patients with COPD in relation to respiratory, cardiac, and malignant causes, as well as all causes of death.

Methods

After merging the Swedish Respiratory Tract Register (SRTR) and the Swedish Cause of Death Register, patients with respiratory, cardiac, and other causes of death were identified. Demographic and clinical variables from the deceased patients’ first registration with the SRTR were compared. Three univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted for different causes of death, with time from first registration to either death or a fixed end date as dependent variable, and variables regarding demographics, respiration, and comorbidities as independent variables.

Results

In the multivariable Cox models, mortality for patients with all causes of death was predicted by older age 1.79 (CI 1.41, 2.27), lower percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁ %) 0.99 (CI 0.98, 0.99), lower saturation 0.92 (CI 0.86, 0.97), worse dyspnea 1.48 (CI 1.26, 1.74) (p<0.002 to p<0.001), less exercise 0.91 (CI 0.85, 0.98), and heart disease 1.53 (CI 1.06, 2.19) (both p<0.05). Mortality for patients with respiratory causes was predicted by higher age 1.67 (CI 1.05, 2.65) (p<0.05), lower FEV_1% 0.98 (CI 0.97, 0.99), worse dyspnea 2.05 (CI 1.45, 2.90), and a higher number of exacerbations 1.27 (CI 1.11, 1.45) (p<0.001 in all comparisons). For patients with cardiac causes of death, mortality was predicted by lower FEV_1% 0.99 (CI 0.98, 0.99) (p=0.001) and lower saturation 0.82 (CI 0.76, 0.89) (p<0.001), older age 1.46 (CI 1.02, 2.09) (p<0.05), and presence of heart disease at first registration 2.06 (CI 1.13, 3.73) (p<0.05).

Conclusion

Obstruction predicted mortality in all models and dyspnea in two models and needs to be addressed. Comorbidity with heart disease could further worsen the COPD patient’s prognosis and should be treated by a multidisciplinary team of professional specialists.

Distribution, Temporal Stability and Appropriateness of Therapy of Patients With COPD in the UK in Relation to GOLD 2019

BACKGROUND

The 2019 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) report made recommendations for the assessment, initial and subsequent treatment chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on biomarkers, including blood eosinophil counts.

METHODS

We evaluated the distribution of UK COPD patients initiating maintenance therapy and established patients by GOLD group, the prevalence of comorbidities and appropriateness of therapy using electronic patient records from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database (OPCRD). Changes in effective GOLD group, therapy and exacerbation rates over the next 2 years were analysed.

FINDINGS

11,409 established COPD patients and 699 starting therapy were studied. 44·3%, 25·7%, 13·8% & 16·2% of established COPD patients and 45·2%, 28·5%, 15·7% & 10·6% initiating therapy were in GOLD groups A, B, C & D respectively.The overall proportion in each GOLD group was similar after 2 years but there was substantial movement of patients between groups. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease were the most common comorbidities in all groups in both cohorts.LAMA monotherapy was the commonest initial therapy in all GOLD groups. In both cohorts there was over-treatment with escalation, de-escalation or switching in nearly 50% during follow-up.In both cohorts, exacerbation rates were highest in group D and appeared higher in over-treated patients.

INTERPRETATION

Most patients are not at risk of exacerbations and co-morbidities are common. Many patients change effective GOLD group and therapy over time. Prescribing is not in accordance with guideline recommendations and many patients still appear over treated.

Prevalence and prognostic ability of the GOLD 2017 classification compared to the GOLD 2011 classification in a Norwegian COPD cohort

Rationale

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2017 is based on an ABCD assessment tool of symptoms and exacerbation history and grade 1–4 of airflow limitation severity, facilitating classification either into 4 groups (ABCD) or 16 groups (1A-4D). We aimed to compare the GOLD 2011, GOLD 2017 ABCD, and GOLD 2017 1A-4D classifications in terms of their distribution and prediction of mortality and hospitalizations.

Methods

In the GenKOLS study, 912 COPD patients with FEV1 less than 80% of the predicted answered questionnaires and performed lung function testing in 2003–2005. The patients were recruited from a hospital patient registry (n=662) and from the general population (n=250), followed up until 2011 with respect to all-cause and respiratory mortality, and all-cause and respiratory hospitalizations. We performed logistic regression and receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses for the different classifications with estimations of area under the curve (AUC) for comparisons.

Results

Mean age at baseline was 60 years (SD 11), 55% were male. Mean duration of follow-up was 91 months. By GOLD 2011, 21% were classified as group A, 29% group B, 6% group C, and 43% as group D, corresponding percentages for GOLD 2017 were: 25%, 52%, 3%, and 20%. The GOLD 2011 classification had higher AUC values than the GOLD 2017 group ABCD classification for respiratory mortality and hospitalization, but after inclusion of airflow limitation severity in GOLD 2017 groups 2A–4D, AUC values were significantly higher with GOLD 2017.

Conclusion

In a clinically relevant sample of COPD patients, the GOLD 2017 classification doubles the prevalence of group B and halves the prevalence of groups C and D as compared to the GOLD 2011 classification. The prediction of respiratory mortality and respiratory hospitalization was better for GOLD 2017 2A–4D taking airflow limitation severity into account, as compared to GOLD 2017 ABCD and GOLD 2011.

Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease: the GOLD science committee report 2019

Precision medicine is a patient-specific approach that integrates all relevant clinical, genetic and biological information in order to optimise the therapeutic benefit relative to the possibility of side-effects for each individual. Recent clinical trials have shown that higher blood eosinophil counts are associated with a greater efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Blood eosinophil counts are a biomarker with potential to be used in clinical practice, to help target ICS treatment with more precision in COPD patients with a history of exacerbations despite appropriate bronchodilator treatment.The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2017 pharmacological treatment algorithms, based on the ABCD assessment, can be applied relatively easily to treatment-naive individuals at initial presentation. However, their use is more problematic during follow-up in patients who are already on maintenance treatment. There is a need for a different system to guide COPD pharmacological management during follow-up.Recent large randomised controlled trials have provided important new information concerning the therapeutic effects of ICSs and long-acting bronchodilators on exacerbations. The new evidence regarding blood eosinophils and inhaled treatments, and the need to distinguish between initial and follow-up pharmacological management, led to changes in the GOLD pharmacological treatment recommendations. This article explains the evidence and rationale for the GOLD 2019 pharmacological treatment recommendations.

Classification and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outpatients in China according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2017: comparison with GOLD 2014

Background

In 2017, the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) proposed new classification criteria for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which categorizes them into groups A-D based on risk of exacerbations and symptoms. The impact of the 2017 revisions on categorization and subsequent drug selection has been insufficiently studied in China.

Methods

This observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study recruited patients attending the outpatient clinics of 12 tertiary hospitals in China between April 2016 and July 2018. Patients were classified according to the GOLD 2014 and 2017 classification criteria and profiled based on categorization, demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment regimens.

Results

In total, 1,278 COPD patients [mean age (±SD), 62.4±8.4 years; body mass index (BMI), 22.3±3.4 kg/m²] were included. According to the GOLD 2014 and 2017 classification criteria, the distribution in groups A-D was 58 (4.5%), 288 (22.5%), 28 (2.2%), 904 (70.7%) and 71 (5.6%), 573 (44.8%), 15 (1.2%), 619 (48.4%), respectively. Overall, 32% of patients in groups C-D were reclassified to groups A-B. Based on both GOLD 2014 and 2017, low BMI and education level were independent risk factors for high risk of exacerbation (i.e., being in groups C-D) (P<0.05). The patients who were reclassified from group D to B were younger and had fewer symptoms than those who remained in group D. The most frequently prescribed regimen was triple inhaled treatment (39.4%). Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) were prescribed across all groups, and 205 (71.9%) of the 285 patients who were reclassified from group D to B were treated with ICS.

Conclusions

GOLD 2017 reclassified COPD patients to low-risk groups. The risk of exacerbation increased with decreased BMI or education levels. Overtreatment was observed in many patients, and physicians should reexamine treatment patterns for patients reclassified into low-risk groups.