Key result
A review of pre-COPD literature reveals a lack of validated early case-finding programs, emphasizing the need for early diagnosis, at-risk registries, and new preventive therapeutic interventions.
Why the study?
Early detection and treatment of COPD can help manage symptoms and slow progression, but early case-finding programs have not been proposed or validated, leaving many patients diagnosed at late stages.
This review emphasizes the critical need for early detection and preventive therapeutic interventions in pre-COPD to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Early COPD detection and pre-COPD tools require prospective validation before clinical use; review leaves open their diagnostic utility.
INTRODUCTION: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The lung damage in COPD is associated with an enhanced chronic inflammatory response in the airways and lung tissue to harmful particles or gases. Early detection and treatment of COPD can help manage symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. AREAS COVERED: Status of knowledge regarding early diagnosis, definition of pre-COPD, possible new tools for early diagnosis, possibilities of early treatment, and the results of studies in this population are discussed. Literature search (2014-2024) was done in PubMed, EMBASE, and WoS databases using the keywords COPD, early diagnosis, treatment, smoking, prevention; with additional search of literature in found articles. EXPERT OPINION: No early case-finding programs have been proposed or validated, so we still have many patients diagnosed in the late stage of the disease. Clinically manifest COPD is characterized as typically progressive and irreversible with current therapeutic options. If we aim to reduce the mortality and morbidity from COPD we should target these steps: Prevention; Early diagnosis; Form registries of persons at risk for COPD development; Diagnose preclinical COPD; and discover new preventive therapeutic interventions.
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Plavec et al. (2024) conducted a review in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) / pre-COPD. Early diagnosis and treatment was evaluated. A review of pre-COPD literature reveals a lack of validated early case-finding programs, emphasizing the need for early diagnosis, at-risk registries, and new preventive therapeutic interventions.
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