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Should Mild COPD Be Treated? Evidence for Early Pharmacological Intervention

Drugs volume 73, pages 1991–2001 (2013)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 19 December 2013

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common and often progressive inflammatory disease of the airways that is both preventable and treatable. It is well established that those with mild-to-moderate disease severity represent the majority of patients with COPD, yet this subpopulation is relatively under-studied. Because of an insidious pre-clinical phase, COPD is both under-diagnosed and under-treated. Recent studies have confirmed that even patients with mild, grade 1 COPD [i.e. those with a reduced forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity ratio but normal FEV1], have measurable physiological impairment with increased morbidity and a higher risk of mortality compared with non-smoking healthy controls. Beyond the imperative of smoking cessation—the pivotal intervention in all COPD stages—the role of pharmacotherapy for prevention of disease progression has yet to be established. The main objective of this review is to provide a concise overview of the heterogeneous pathophysiology of COPD with only mild airway obstruction on spirometry and obstacles for early diagnosis. We emphasize that the absence of sufficiently powered trials involving a large number of patients precludes definitive recommendations in support of (or against) long-term pharmacological treatment in mild COPD. Despite these limitations, we present a rationale for earlier pharmacological intervention derived from recent physiological studies performed in symptomatic patients with mild COPD.

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Acknowledgments

Denis O’Donnell has received research funding via Queen’s University from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Nycomed and Pfizer, and has served on speakers bureaus, consultation panels and advisory boards for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Nycomed and Pfizer. Amany F. Elbehairy, Katherine A. Webb and J. Alberto Neder have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article. No sources of funding were used to support the writing of this manuscript. Financial support was provided by an Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Scholarship to Amany F. Elbehairy.

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  1. Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Queen’s University, 102 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V6, Canada

    Amany F. Elbehairy, Katherine A. Webb, J. Alberto Neder & Denis E. O’Donnell

  2. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

    Amany F. Elbehairy

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  1. Amany F. Elbehairy
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  2. Katherine A. Webb
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  4. Denis E. O’Donnell
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Correspondence to Denis E. O’Donnell.

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Elbehairy, A.F., Webb, K.A., Alberto Neder, J. et al. Should Mild COPD Be Treated? Evidence for Early Pharmacological Intervention. Drugs 73, 1991–2001 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-013-0145-9

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Keywords

  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patient
  • Budesonide
  • Tiotropium
  • Mild Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease