npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine (Mar 2021)

Clinical characteristics and factors associated with triple therapy use in newly diagnosed patients with COPD

  • Mònica Monteagudo,
  • Miriam Barrecheguren,
  • Iryna Solntseva,
  • Nafeesa Dhalwani,
  • Alison Booth,
  • Alexa Nuñez,
  • Dimitra Lambrelli,
  • Marc Miravitlles

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-021-00227-x
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 31, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Abstract There is limited information about the initiation of triple therapy (TT) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care. This was an observational, population-based study in patients identified from a primary care electronic medical records database in Catalonia from 2011 to 2015 aimed to identify the use of TT in patients with newly diagnosed COPD. A total of 69,668 newly diagnosed patients were identified of whom 11,524 (16.5%) initiated TT, of whom 8626 initiated TT at or immediately after COPD diagnosis. Among them, 72.3% were GOLD A/B, 14.6% were frequent exacerbators, and 7.1% had asthma–COPD overlap (ACO). Variables associated with TT initiation were: male sex, older age, previous exacerbations, ACO, a previous treatment regimen containing an inhaled corticosteroid, previous pneumonia, and history of lung cancer. A significant number of COPD patients in Primary Care initiated TT shortly after or even before an established COPD diagnosis.