Thorax
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Comparative Study
The Clinical COPD Questionnaire: response to pulmonary rehabilitation and minimal clinically important difference.
The Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) is a simple 10-item, health-related quality of life questionnaire (HRQoL) with good psychometric properties. However, little data exists regarding the responsiveness of the CCQ to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) or the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). The study aims were to assess the responsiveness of the CCQ to PR, to compare the responsiveness of the CCQ to other HRQoL questionnaires and to provide estimates for the MCID. ⋯ The CCQ is responsive to PR with an estimated clinically important improvement of -0.4 points. The CCQ is a practical alternative to more time-consuming measures of HRQoL.
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Comparative Study
Prognostic evaluation of COPD patients: GOLD 2011 versus BODE and the COPD comorbidity index COTE.
The Global Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2011 revision recommends the multidimensional assessment of COPD including comorbidities and has developed a disease categories system (ABCD) attempting to implement this strategy. The added value provided by quantifying comorbidities and integrating them to multidimensional indices has not been explored. ⋯ In this population of COPD patients, the BODE index had a better survival prediction than the ABCD GOLD categories. Adding the COTE to the BODE index was complimentary and significantly improved outcome prediction.
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Smoking is a major public health problem. As smokers age and die prematurely, the tobacco industry must continue to recruit new, young smokers. ⋯ The presentation of data for individual local authorities, which now have responsibility for public health, can be used to focus attention locally. For example, this analysis demonstrates that each day, 67 children, more than two classrooms full, start smoking in London.