Overweight in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease needs more attention: a cross-sectional study in general practice

Overweight in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease needs more attention: a cross-sectional study in general practiceOverweight in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease needs more attention: a cross-sectional study in general practice, Published online: 22 November 2017; doi:10.1038/s41533-017-0065-3Doctors should pay more attention to weight management in patients with mild chronic lung disease, say researchers in the Netherlands. While guidelines for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) focus primarily on preventing weight-loss in severe COPD, around 65 per cent of patients with mild COPD are overweight or obese. Excessive weight exacerbates symptoms and triggers co-morbidities, and so can impact heavily on COPD healthcare provision. Lisa Verberne and co-workers at the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research analyzed data from 315 Dutch general practices in 2014, identifying 3404 patients were classified as overweight or obese and 1534 as normal weight. So in total 4938 patients were identified. The team compared this cohort with COPD patients of normal weight, and found they were at higher risk of diabetes, osteoarthritis and hypertension. Obese patients were also at risk of heart failure and were prescribed more medication for COPD.
Source: npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine - Category: Primary Care Authors: Source Type: research