Will Recommendations against Spirometry Make Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Harder to Treat?
Authors: Ned Calonge, Diana B. Petitti, Kenneth Lin
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2008)

Letters7 October 2008Will Recommendations against Spirometry Make Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Harder to Treat?Ned Calonge, MD, MPH, Diana B. Petitti, MD, MPH, and Kenneth Lin, MDNed Calonge, MD, MPHFrom the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD 20852.Search for more papers by this author, Diana B. Petitti, MD, MPHFrom the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD 20852.Search for more papers by this author, and Kenneth Lin, MDFrom the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD 20852.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-7-200810070-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We appreciate the letter from Drs. Petty and Mannino regarding the USPSTF's recent recommendation against screening for COPD by using spirometry (1). Their comments provide us the opportunity to emphasize some important issues that the USPSTF considered in making this recommendation.Identifying a disease earlier in its natural course does not automatically improve health outcomes. Clinicians should screen patients only if effective interventions are more beneficial during the asymptomatic disease stage than at clinical diagnosis and if the harms of screening or treatment do not outweigh the benefits. The USPSTF's review of the evidence (2) found that for ...References1. 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 Scholar2. 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 Scholar3. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Counseling to prevent tobacco use and tobacco-caused disease. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2003. Accessed at www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspstbac.htm on 18 July 2008. Google Scholar4. 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 Scholar5. 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 Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD 20852.Disclosures: None disclosed. 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? Thomas L. Petty and David M. Mannino Metrics Cited byMicrobes in the Reproductive Tract Spectrum: Inferences from the Microbial World 7 October 2008Volume 149, Issue 7Page: 513KeywordsChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseClinical trialsConflicts of interestHealth careLungsRandomized trialsSpirometryTachycardiaTreatment guidelinesVentilators ePublished: 7 October 2008 Issue Published: 7 October 2008 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2008 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...