Three-month treatment response and exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between acute exacerbation andForced Expiratory Volume 1 second (FEV1) improvement after treatment with combinedlong-acting beta-agonist (LABA) and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) in patients with chronicobstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A total of 137 COPD patients were classified asresponders or nonresponders according to FEV1 improvement after 3 months of LABA/ICStreatment in fourteen referral hospitals in Korea. Exacerbation occurrence in these twosubgroups was compared over a period of 1 yr. Eighty of the 137 COPD patients (58.4%)were classified as responders and 57 (41.6%) as nonresponders. Acute exacerbationsoccurred in 25 patients (31.3%) in the responder group and in 26 patients (45.6%) in thenonresponder group (P = 0.086). FEV1 improvement after LABA/ICS treatment was asignificant prognostic factor for fewer acute exacerbations in a multivariate Coxproportional hazard model adjusted for age, sex, FEV1, smoking history, 6 min walkdistance, body mass index, exacerbation history in the previous year, and dyspnea scale.Three-month treatment response to LABA/ICS might be a prognostic factor for theoccurrence of acute exacerbation in COPD patients. © 2015 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.