Population-based case-finding to identify airflow obstruction in symptomatic adults at high risk for asthma and COPD

Abstract

Collectively, obstructive lung diseases are leading causes of respiratory morbidity and mortality, yet in practice, they are often under-recognised or under-diagnosed. In response to this clinical need, Preteroti et al. [1] have developed a novel strategy for the earlier identification of these diseases. This involved actively finding symptomatic middle-aged to older adults of the general Canadian population through a two-step screening process, followed by the development and internal validation of an eight-item questionnaire designed to predict bronchodilator reversibility and/or post-bronchodilator airflow obstruction as outcomes. Their concluding remarks included, “Existing symptom quest..