The effects of different inhalation therapies on less symptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in a Chinese population: a real-world study
Creators: name: Song, Qing
name: Lin, Ling
name: Zhou, Aiyuan
name: Cheng, Wei
name: Liu, Cong
name: Peng, Yating
name: Zhou, Zijing
name: Zeng, Yuqin
name: Deng, Dingding
name: Liu, Dan
name: Yu, Zhiping
name: Chen, Yan
name: Cai, Shan
name: Chen, Ping
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Microbiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Science Policy
subject: Mental Health

description: The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) document suggests that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) should be divided into a less symptomatic group. Moreover, single-inhaled drugs are recommended as initial inhalation therapy for them. However, many less symptomatic patients are provided double or triple-inhaled drugs as initial therapy in the real world. This study aimed to describe the inhalation prescriptions and compare the effects of different inhalation therapies on less symptomatic COPD patients. This was an observational study. Stable COPD patients were recruited and divided into a less symptomatic group including Groups A and C based on the GOLD 2019 document. We collected the data of inhalation therapies prescriptions. Then, the patients were classified into long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) + inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), LABA + LAMA, and LABA + LAMA + ICS groups. All the patients were followed up for 1 year to collect exacerbation and mortality data. We found that only 45.4% of patients in Group A and 43.6% of patients in Group C received reasonable inhalation therapy in reference to the GOLD document. In addition, the LAMA group had a higher forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1%pred, FEV1/forced vital capacity and peak expiratory flow compared with LABA + ICS, LABA + LAMA and LABA + LAMA + ICS groups. However, we did not find any significant differences of exacerbation, hospitalization and mortality during the follow-up among different inhalation therapies groups on less symptomatic COPD patients. Over half of the less symptomatic patients received inhalation therapy that were inconsistent with the GOLD document recommendations in a Chinese population in the real world. In fact, the single inhaled drug of LAMA should be recommended and pulmonary function is not a good indicator for the choice of initial inhalation therapy in less symptomatic COPD patients.KEY MESSAGESOver half of the less symptomatic COPD patients received inhalation therapy that were inconsistent with the GOLD document recommendations in a Chinese population in the real world.The clinicians should offer a single inhaled drug of LAMA to less symptomatic COPD patients and pulmonary function is not a good indicator for the choice of initial inhalation therapy. Over half of the less symptomatic COPD patients received inhalation therapy that were inconsistent with the GOLD document recommendations in a Chinese population in the real world. The clinicians should offer a single inhaled drug of LAMA to less symptomatic COPD patients and pulmonary function is not a good indicator for the choice of initial inhalation therapy.