Will Recommendations against Spirometry Make Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Harder to Treat?
Authors: Thomas L. Petty, David M. Mannino
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2008)

Letters7 October 2008Will Recommendations against Spirometry Make Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Harder to Treat?Thomas L. Petty, MD and David M. Mannino, MDThomas L. Petty, MDFrom the University of Colorado, Denver, CO 80220, and University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington, KY 40356.Search for more papers by this author and David M. Mannino, MDFrom the University of Colorado, Denver, CO 80220, and University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington, KY 40356.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-7-200810070-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We are concerned about the recent series of guideline papers and recommendation statements published in Annals(1–3), which seem to advise primary care physicians not to perform spirometry. This could be a big blow (no pun intended) to a nationwide effort to diagnose and treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) early (4, 5). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the only disease among the top 5 fatal diseases in the United States that is increasing in morbidity and mortality (6). What separates the diseases that are decreasing (heart disease, stroke, cancer, and accidents) from COPD are effective early detection ...References1. Qaseem A, Snow V, Shekelle P, Sherif K, Wilt TJ, Weinberger S; et al.. Clinical Efficacy Assessment Subcommittee of the American College of Physicians. Diagnosis and management of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:633-8. [PMID: 17975186] LinkGoogle Scholar2. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using spirometry: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:529-34. [PMID: 18316747] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Lin K, Watkins B, Johnson T, Rodriguez JA, Barton MB; U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using spirometry: summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:535-43. [PMID: 18316746] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Petty TL, Weinmann GG. Building a national strategy for the prevention and management of and research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Workshop Summary. Bethesda, Maryland, August 29-31, 1995. JAMA. 1997;277:246-53. [PMID: 9005275] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Ferguson GT, Enright PL, Buist AS, Higgins MW. Office spirometry for lung health assessment in adults: a consensus statement from the National Lung Health Education Program. Chest. 2000;117:1146-61. [PMID: 10767253] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Jemal A, Ward E, Hao Y, Thun M. Trends in the leading causes of death in the United States, 1970-2002. JAMA. 2005;294:1255-9. [PMID: 16160134] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Mannino DM, Gagnon RC, Petty TL, Lydick E. Obstructive lung disease and low lung function in adults in the United States: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:1683-9. [PMID: 10847262] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Shahab L, Jarvis MJ, Britton J, West R. Prevalence, diagnosis and relation to tobacco dependence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a nationally representative population sample. Thorax. 2006;61:1043-7. [PMID: 17040932] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Menezes AM, Perez-Padilla R, Jardim JR, Muino A, Lopez MV, Valdivia G; et al.. PLATINO Team. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in five Latin American cities (the PLATINO study): a prevalence study. Lancet. 2005;366:1875-81. [PMID: 16310554] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Damarla M, Celli BR, Mullerova HX, Pinto-Plata VM. Discrepancy in the use of confirmatory tests in patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or congestive heart failure. Respir Care. 2006;51:1120-4. [PMID: 17005056] MedlineGoogle Scholar11. Joo MJ, Lee TA, Weiss KB. Geographic variation of spirometry use in newly diagnosed COPD. Chest. 2008;134:38-45. [PMID: 18347201] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. Mannino DM, Holguin F, Pavlin BI, Ferdinands JM. Risk factors for prevalence of and mortality related to restriction on spirometry: findings from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and follow-up. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2005;9:613-21. [PMID: 15971387] MedlineGoogle Scholar13. Friedman GD, Klatsky AL, Siegelaub AB. Lung function and risk of myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. N Engl J Med. 1976;294:1071-5. [PMID: 1256523] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. Kannel WB. Vital epidemiologic clues in heart failure. J Clin Epidemiol. 2000;53:229-35. [PMID: 10760631] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. Bednarek M, Gorecka D, Wielgomas J, Czajkowska-Malinowska M, Regula J, Mieszko-Filipczyk G; et al.. Smokers with airway obstruction are more likely to quit smoking. Thorax. 2006;61:869-73. [PMID: 16809415] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. Van Schayck CP, Loozen JM, Wagena E, Akkermans RP, Wesseling GJ. Detecting patients at a high risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in general practice: cross sectional case finding study. BMJ. 2002;324:1370. [PMID: 12052807] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17. Parkes G, Greenhalgh T, Griffin M, Dent R. Effect on smoking quit rate of telling patients their lung age: the Step2quit randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2008;336:598-600. [PMID: 18326503] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar18. Stratelis G, Mölstad S, Jakobsson P, Zetterström O. The impact of repeated spirometry and smoking cessation advice on smokers with mild COPD. Scand J Prim Health Care. 2006;24:133-9. [PMID: 16923621] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the University of Colorado, Denver, CO 80220, and University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington, KY 40356.Disclosures:Consultancies: D. Maninno (GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Dey, Sepracor, Astra-Zeneca). Grants received: D. Mannino (GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Pfizer). PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoDiagnosis and Management of Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians Amir Qaseem , Vincenza Snow , Paul Shekelle , Katherine Sherif , Timothy J. Wilt , Steven Weinberger , Douglas K. Owens , and Screening for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Using Spirometry: Summary of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Kenneth Lin , Bradley Watkins , Tamara Johnson , Joy Anne Rodriguez , and Mary B. Barton Screening for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Using Spirometry: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation StatementWill Recommendations against Spirometry Make Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Harder to Treat? Ned Calonge , Diana B. Petitti , and Kenneth Lin Metrics Cited byAdherence to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease guidelines in the real worldA Clinical Study of COPD Severity Assessment by Primary Care Physicians and Their Patients Compared with SpirometryThe 10-year COPD Programme in Finland: effects on quality of diagnosis, smoking, prevalence, hospital admissions and mortalityInnovations to Achieve Excellence in COPD Diagnosis and Treatment in Primary CareIdentifying Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Primary Care of Urban Underserved Patients: Tools, Applications, and Challenges 7 October 2008Volume 149, Issue 7Page: 512-513KeywordsCancer preventionCardiovascular therapyChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseCurrent procedural terminologyLungsMortalityPatientsPulmonary diseasesSmoking cessationSpirometry ePublished: 7 October 2008 Issue Published: 7 October 2008 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2008 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...