How I would manage a man with COPD who has few symptoms and is at low risk of an exacerbation: a primary care perspective from Australia

Authors

Nicholas Zwar, University of New South WalesFollow

RIS ID

111994

Publication Details

Zwar, N. (2012). How I would manage a man with COPD who has few symptoms and is at low risk of an exacerbation: a primary care perspective from Australia. Primary Care Respiratory Journal, 21 (4), 442-443.

Abstract

At a routine medical examination a 44 year-old bricklayer who has smoked 20 cigarettes a day since his mid-teens admits that recently he has been more breathless than usual on heavy work. After an episode of bronchitis last winter he attended for spirometry which confirmed moderate COPD with an FEV1/FVC ratio of 0.65 and a post-bronchodilator FEV1 of 78% predicted. He was offered smoking cessation advice but did not attend the follow-up appointments offered. He is on no medication.