Epidemiology and outcome of older patients presenting with dyspnoea to emergency departments

Sex differences and determinants of anxiety symptoms in patients with COPD initiating pulmonary rehabilitation

BACKGROUND

Anxiety is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, there is little evidence available regarding gender differences, and severity of dyspnea in relation to anxiety in patients with COPD.

AIMS

We examined gender differences and the association of dyspnea with anxiety in a cohort of patients with COPD prior to entering a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program.

METHOD

We analyzed data from a prospective cohort of COPD patients who attended PR from 2013 to 2019 in Lytham, Lancashire, UK. Patients were aged 40 years or older with a post-bronchodilation forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) less than 80 % of the predicted normal value and FEV1/FVC (forced vital capacity) ratio less than 0.7. We assessed quality of life (QoL) using the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), anxiety using the Anxiety Inventory for Respiratory disease (AIR), dyspnea using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, and exercise capacity using the Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT).

RESULTS

Nine hundred ninety-three patients with COPD (mean age = 71 years, FEV1/FVC = 58 % predicted, 51 % male) entered the PR program. Of these, 348 (35 %) had anxiety symptoms (AIR ≥8); of these 165 (47 %) were male and 183 (53 %) female, (χ2 = 3.33, p = 0.06). On logistic multivariate analysis, the following variables were independently associated with elevated anxiety: younger age (p < 0.001), female sex (p = 0.03), higher SGRQ-total score (p < 0.001) and high FEV1/FVC (p < 0.002). Dyspnea was associated with anxiety r = 0.25, p < 0.001.

CONCLUSION

Over a third of COPD patients had clinically relevant anxiety symptoms with a higher prevalence in women than men. Anxiety was associated with younger age, female gender, and impaired QoL. Early recognition and treatment of anxiety in patients with COPD is worthy of consideration for those attending PR, especially women.

Acute neurological deficit with submassive pulmonary emboli

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is frequently encountered in the emergency department. Syncope, often as a consequence of impending haemodynamic collapse, is associated with increased mortality. While loss of consciousness owing to cerebral hypoperfusion and reduced left ventricular preload is a common cause of collapse with large volume PE, other syndromes can also cause neurological deficit in thromboembolic disease. Here, we describe a case of a woman in her 60s, presenting to the emergency department with features of high-risk PE. During clinical examination, the patient collapsed and became unresponsive with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 4/15 despite normal haemodynamics. Neurological signs were noted and CT revealed evidence of a large territory cerebral infarction. Further cardiovascular investigations identified a grade 4 patent foramen ovale. We describe a challenging case of established venous thromboembolism complicated by paradoxical embolism, highlighting the importance of thorough clinical examination and investigation and discuss the current evidence base of treatments.

Health service utilisation associated with chronic breathlessness: random population sample

BACKGROUND

Most health service utilisation studies are of people with specific diagnoses or demographic characteristics, and rarely of specific chronic symptoms. The aim of this study was to establish whether population-level health service utilisation increases in people with chronic breathlessness.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis was carried out of the South Australian Health Omnibus Survey 2017, a multi-stage, clustered area, systematic sampling survey of adults where questions are administered face-to-face in respondents' homes. Self-report of health service utilisation in the previous 3 months (medical consultations, emergency department, hospital admission), chronic breathlessness (severity, duration, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) breathlessness scale) and demographic data were used to predict self-reported health service utilisation.

RESULTS

A total of 2898 people were included (49.0% male; median age 48.0 years (IQR 32.0-63.0); 64.1% educated beyond school; 55.4% in work; 73.5% had outpatient contact; 6.3% had a hospital admission in the previous 3 months). Chronic breathlessness (mMRC ≥1) was reported by 8.8% of respondents. In bivariable analyses, people with greater contact with health services were older, and a higher proportion were overweight/obese and had more severe chronic breathlessness. In multivariable analyses, chronic breathlessness and older age were positively associated with outpatient care and inpatient care, and people with chronic breathlessness were hospitalised for longer (incidence rate ratio 2.5; 95% CI 1.4-4.5).

CONCLUSION

There is a significant association between worse chronic breathlessness and increased health service utilisation. There is a need for greater understanding of factors that initiate contact with health services.