In a study published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine, it was found that the majority of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were untreated during diagnosis and follow-up. This resulted in regular exacerbations, stressing the gaps in treatment guideline adherence. Researchers of this study used deidentified data from the Inovalon administrative claims from insured patients in the United States from 2015 to 2021. Eligible patients were included if they were diagnosed with COPD from January 1, 2016, to December 21, 2017, and were at least 40 years old at the time of diagnosis.
The total population included in the study was 238,158 patients (mean age, 63.8 years). The majority of patients were female, lived in the South, had Medicaid Managed Care insurance. It was found that 32,981 patients were given treatment within 30 days of their diagnosis, 53,187 were given treatment during follow-up after their diagnosis, and 151,990 patients were not treated during the follow-up time. Those who were left untreated had common exacerbations. Exacerbations were more frequent during the first year after COPD diagnosis. At the end of the first year, 13.2% who were not treated at diagnosis were given some type of treatment, and 3.7% of those previously not treated were given treatment by the end of year 4. The researchers of this study acknowledged certain limitations, but also recommended areas for future research to understand reasons behind prescription patterns found in this study, as findings suggested providers may be disregarding recommendations from COPD treatment guidelines.
Reference: McCormick B. Study: Most Patients With COPD Remain Untreated Following Initial Diagnosis. Published August 20, 2024. Accessed October 2, 2024. https://www.ajmc.com/view/study-most-patients-with-copd-remain-untreated-following-initial-diagnosis
Link: https://www.ajmc.com/view/study-most-patients-with-copd-remain-untreated-following-initial-diagnosis
