Male, 40 years and smoker or ex smoker, the profile of the patient with COPD in Spain.

-Up to 10% of the population between 40 and 80 years suffers from the disease, which would add a significant percentage of people not diagnosed

– according to who data, provides that, if no interventions are made to reduce the risks, deaths from COPD will increase by more than 30% in the next 10 years

-the main causes of disease mortality due to respiratory failure, cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms

-in Spain, approximately 50% of hospital admissions for acute problems are carried out in the service of internal medicine

– according to the Coordinator of the Group of COPD in the SEMI, Spain is one of the leading countries in research in COPD

Barcelona, 2011-March the obstructive pulmonary disease chronic (COPD) is one of the major causes of mortality and health care burden in our country. Up to 10% of the population between 40 and 80 years afflicted, with a high percentage of under-diagnosis, i.e. people not diagnosed and therefore not treated correctly.

In addition, according to who data, estimated that if not carried out interventions (mainly on the smoke of tobacco) for reducing the risks, the COPD Deaths increased by more than 30% in the next 10 years.

The profile of these patients in Spain is one man of 40 years that he is or has been smoking, although, as pointed out the doctor Pere Almagro Mena, Coordinator of the Working Group of the Spanish society of internal medicine (SEMI) COPD there is an increasing number of women who suffer, as a result of the increase in smoking in this population ”.

This is one of the conclusions of the sixth meeting of COPD organized by the Working Group of COPD in the SEMI in Barcelona on 17 and 18 March, which will meet approximately 150 specialists in internal medicine, members of this group, pulmonologists, primary care physicians, hospitalization at home and intensivistas, with the objectives of deepening in poorly understood aspects of the disease and treat, among other topics, the comorbidity of these patients, their prognosis and palliative care at more advanced stages of the disease.

A disease that is almost always associated with other diseases

One of the main features of COPD is the high degree of comorbidity with other diseases, because of its inflammatory basis and systemic involvement which causes, in such a way that, as notes Dr. Almagro, the main causes of mortality by disease due to respiratory failure, cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms ”.

Thus, COPD worsens the prognosis of other pathologies as cardiovascular more than other traditional risk factors such as Dyslipidemia – alteration in lipids, mainly cholesterol and triglyceride levels. On the other hand, the greater the degree of disease is, the greater the number of deaths caused by respiratory failure.

Its main cause is the smoke, in active and passive smokers, but pollution of indoor and outdoor air and occupational exposure to chemicals and powders are also risk factors.

It joins the clinical manifestations and functional alterations of COPD to appear in the advanced stage of the disease, detection may be delayed. In fact, while the patient remains stable, its deterioration is very slow, by which it accustomed to limitations it causes for years ”, as pointed out by Dr. Almagro.

Throughout this, prevention and diagnosis play in their treatment a fundamental role, since, according to the expert, there are many occasions that the patient does not know that you have the disease until this interferes with their normal activities ”.

Spain, one of the countries leading in research in COPD

According to Dr. Almagro, Spain is located between countries with a greater degree of research on this respiratory disease worldwide and boasts specialists of reference in the study and treatment ”. In recent years have carried out several studies on genetic bases, inflammation, phenotypes, prognosis or Comorbidities which features, among other issues.

Thus, there have recently been profound changes in the knowledge of the origin of the disease, its clinical manifestations, prognosis and treatment and becoming is subject of further research and generation of new knowledge.

The role of the internist in the care of the patient with COPD

The internists, the chest or family physicians have a key role and not exclusionary in diagnosis and treatment of disease. Spain, approximately 50% of revenue by acute problems related to the disease carried in the service of internal medicine.

In that regard, the Group of COPD in the SEMI is making several training activities to raise awareness of the disease in the service of internal medicine. Proof of this is that in the past two years the Group has published several works in national and international journals and currently being analysed data from the study ESMI (COPD in the service of internal medicine), performed in approximately 60 services for the specialty in all Spain with more than 360 patients, which will make it possible to better define the profile of patients treated for this disease in our country.

On the other hand, the Group of the SEMI keeps avenues of collaboration with the Spanish society of respiratory pathology (SEPAR) and the Spanish society of hospitalization at home (SEHAD), which collaborates in the preparation of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.