Clinical impact of disease stability on exacerbation and mortality in COPD: a retrospective cohort study.
Disease stability is an achievable goal in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management. However, the clinical implications of disease stability in patients with COPD remain unclear.
We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study using the electronic medical records of treated patients with symptomatic COPD. Patients who had newly initiated inhaler therapy with long-acting β2-agonist/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LABA/LAMA) or inhaled corticosteroid/LABA/LAMA combinations were included. Disease stability was defined over a one-year assessment period as meeting all of the following criteria: (1) symptom stability; (2) no moderate or severe exacerbations; and (3) no rapid decline in lung function. The outcomes included acute exacerbations and all-cause mortality.
Of the 725 screened patients, 405 were eligible for inclusion in the study. Among them, 158 (39.0%) achieved disease stability. The proportions of patients who met each criterion were 70.4% for symptom stability, 63.7% for no exacerbations, and 71.4% for a non-rapid lung function decline. Only 5.9% met none of these criteria. During the follow up duration of median 62 (interquartile ranges, 30-90) months, disease stability was significantly associated with a reduced risk of moderate-to-severe (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.521, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.392-0.692) and severe (aHR 0.393, 95% CI 0.279-0.553) exacerbations after adjusting for confounders. It was also associated with a decreased mortality risk (aHR 0.345, 95% CI 0.135-0.883).
Disease stability was associated with a lower risk of exacerbation and mortality, suggesting its potential role as a treatment target and outcome measure for COPD.
We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study using the electronic medical records of treated patients with symptomatic COPD. Patients who had newly initiated inhaler therapy with long-acting β2-agonist/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LABA/LAMA) or inhaled corticosteroid/LABA/LAMA combinations were included. Disease stability was defined over a one-year assessment period as meeting all of the following criteria: (1) symptom stability; (2) no moderate or severe exacerbations; and (3) no rapid decline in lung function. The outcomes included acute exacerbations and all-cause mortality.
Of the 725 screened patients, 405 were eligible for inclusion in the study. Among them, 158 (39.0%) achieved disease stability. The proportions of patients who met each criterion were 70.4% for symptom stability, 63.7% for no exacerbations, and 71.4% for a non-rapid lung function decline. Only 5.9% met none of these criteria. During the follow up duration of median 62 (interquartile ranges, 30-90) months, disease stability was significantly associated with a reduced risk of moderate-to-severe (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.521, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.392-0.692) and severe (aHR 0.393, 95% CI 0.279-0.553) exacerbations after adjusting for confounders. It was also associated with a decreased mortality risk (aHR 0.345, 95% CI 0.135-0.883).
Disease stability was associated with a lower risk of exacerbation and mortality, suggesting its potential role as a treatment target and outcome measure for COPD.