Evaluation of criteria for clinical control in a prospective, international, multicenter study of patients with COPD

Background: The concept of clinical control in COPD has been developed to help in treatment decisions, but it requires validation in prospective studies. Method: This international, multicenter, prospective study aimed to validate the concept of control in COPD [ control = stability ( no exacerbations or impairment in CAT scores) + low impact ( low level of symptoms)]. Data from the screening visit was used to: investigate the level of control, compare characteristics of patients according to the control status, and perform a sensitivity analysis of the levels of control using either clinical criteria or questionnaires ( COPD Assessment Test -CAT- or Clinical COPD Questionnaire -CCQ-). Results: A total of 314 patients were analysed, mean age was 68.5 years and mean FEV1 was 52.6% of predicted. According to the prespecified criteria 21% of patients were classified as controlled, all of them with mild/moderate COPD ( Body mass index, Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exacerbations, -BODEx- index