Patient Characteristics and Treatment Modalities in COPD Patients in China

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disease characterized by multiple clinical manifestations as well as co-morbidities. While COPD subjects have traditionally been classified based solely on airflow limitation (forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1]), a new classification system was introduced in the year of 2011 by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) that recommended subjects with COPD should be classified based on a combination of airflow limitation, disease impact (determined by symptom burden and activity limitation) and history of exacerbation. This approach results in the classification of subjects in four groups: A (low risk, less symptoms), B (low risk, more symptoms), C (high risk, less symptoms), and D (high risk, more symptoms). This classification system was further refined in year 2013, specifically around the history of exacerbation definition, where having ≥1 exacerbation leading to hospital admission in preceding year was added as a criteria for classification into the "high risk" C or D groups. Further, in the year 2016, there was a refinement of the disease impact criteria that suggest the use of the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score (over the Modified British Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale [mMRC] score) as the preferred tool to determine classification as "more symptoms" or "less symptoms". This study aims to understand subject characteristics and current treatment modalities in different groups classified by GOLD 2016 comprehensive classification system and to understand if current treatment choice is concordant with the GOLD recommendations in real life clinical practice in China tertiary hospitals. It will provide a useful point-in-time description of COPD subject characteristics and current treatment modalities in real life clinical practice in China.