Approximately 10% of the 40 years of Spanish has COPD.

-ask patients for their respiratory symptoms (cough, coughing or shortness of breath) and their history of smoking is essential, along with the realization of a spirometry for diagnosis of COPD

-up to 90% of patients with COPD who care for the internist has another important disease affecting their quality of life and its handling

-the main causes of mortality from COPD are the respiratory failure, lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases

-the society will launch the SEMI-COPD project to assess the long-term influence that has each individual comorbidity in patients, between her vertebral fracture, anemia, metabolic syndrome or heart failure

Seville, March 2012.- obstructive pulmonary disease chronic (COPD) is a disease still undervalued e infratratada; still diagnosing late patients because they do not seek help until the disease is already advanced and because the symptoms causing – cough, coughing and shortness of breath – is attributed to tobacco use.

So says Dr. Jesús Díez Manglano, Coordinator of the Group of the Spanish society of internal medicine (SEMI) COPD, on the occasion of the 7th meeting of COPD of society which was held on 15 and 16 March in Seville.

According to data from two epidemiological studies conducted in 1997 (IBERPOC) and 2007 (EPI-SCAN), the under-diagnosis has not suffered a significant decline in recent years–was 78 per cent in 1997 and 73% in 2007. According to the expert, that level of under-diagnosis has seen in recent years partly offset by the improvement in the treatment: late diagnosed patients, however, detected once the disease begins the treatment more quickly; Although we have improved us is an important way to go in these respects ”.

The doctor José Manuel Varela Aguilar, President of the Organizing Committee of the meeting, says that that under-diagnosis also affects mortality continue increasing, unlike other processes such as cardiovascular disease, in which an improvement in survival has been. COPD currently ranks fourth in mortality and it is estimated that in the near future fall in third place ”.

Thus, according to data from the national strategy for COPD in the SNS, Spain occur in about 18,000 deaths by disease a year, being responsible for 60 deaths for every 100,000 men and 17 per 100,000 women.

Also the incidence of the disease is still very high; It is estimated that approximately 10% of the 40 years of Spanish has COPD, being the classic profile of a male over age 40 and smoker and former smoker. However, says the expert, with the addition in recent years of women smoking more and there are more women with the disease and is expected that frequency to continue to grow. In addition, smoking is more prevalent in teenage girls, so both have become special interest groups in the prevention of the disease.

The doctor Varela Aguilar says during the meeting dealt with issues related to pathogenetic mechanisms of environmental pollution affecting about COPD and is evaluated the current situation of tobacco in Spain, one year after the entry into force of the new rules anti-smoking.

Also, analyses the new therapeutic advances, both in terms of bronchodilators and drugs with anti-inflammatory activity, as well as the place these drugs in the treatment of patients.

The internist, essential in the diagnosis and treatment of COPD

Up to 90% of patients with COPD treated in internal medicine services are another important disease (a co-morbidity) that influences their quality of life and management of the same. It cannot be forgotten that the internist serving 50% of patients with COPD entering hospitals in Spain.

The most common internal medicine diagnosis is of respiratory diseases. Ask patients for their respiratory symptoms (cough, coughing or shortness of breath) and their history of smoking is essential, along with the realization of a spirometry for diagnosis of COPD. This diagnosis should be as early as possible in order to begin the treatment. -Indicates the specialist of the SEMI – with age older patients have more difficulty to perform this test, so it is necessary to make the diagnosis in earlier ages ”.

There are two large groups of patients with COPD; those who have cough and expectoration habitual (chronic bronchitis type) and those who have Dyspnea and destruction of lung tissue (type emphysema). Also mixed types of COPD with other diseases such as asthma and sleep apnea are describing.

The study of co-morbidity is fundamental for the treatment

The main causes of mortality by cause of COPD are respiratory failure, lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases; in fact, the co-morbidities – renal failure, peripheral arterial disease, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, osteoporosis, etc.-influence on the quality of life of patients as well as own COPD.

Therefore the Group of COPD in the SEMI looks as main line of research like this, yet little studied and often forgotten by other specialists.

Thus, the Group has carried out ECCO, which describes the main associated diseases and studies ESMI, who values the influence in the outcome of the disease in the short and medium term.

Soon, the society will launch the SEMI-COPD project to assess the long-term influence that has each individual comorbidity in patients, between her vertebral fracture, anemia, metabolic syndrome or heart failure.

Also, the SEMI and the COPD group have the development of clinical practice guidelines to help doctors in the management and treatment of this pathology in perspective.