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COPD patients with chronic bronchitis have worse quality of life, symptoms

Patients with COPD and chronic bronchitis had a worse quality of life, symptoms and mental well-being than those patients with chronic airway obstruction, according to study results.

Paula Meek, RN, PhD, of the University of Colorado-Denver, and colleagues conducted analyses from the Lovelace Smokers’ Cohort (LSC) as well as the COPDGene Cohort to determine if chronic airway obstruction (CAO) was linked with a worse quality of life and symptoms than chronic bronchitis (CB).

Paula Meek

Researchers used the Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form survey (SF-36) to evaluate quality of life and symptoms.

The total scores on the SGRQ were greater in the cohort of patients with COPD with CB and without CAO (27 vs. 14.6; P < .001).

In patients with COPD and only CB, patients were more troubled with sleep interruptions (110 vs. 139; P < .001) and reported depression more in the SF-36 (182 vs. 421; P < .01).

In analyzing individual SGRQ symptom items in the LSC, patients with only CB had a higher odds for morning wheeze (OR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.03-2.93).

“In our analysis, mental health, social functioning and well-being were important contributors to difference in quality of life between groups since these variables were associated with relatively larger parameter estimates in the multivariate analysis in both cohorts,” the researchers wrote.

Disclosure: Meek reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.