Perceived burden of disease is greater in younger people living with COPD, global survey reveals
COPD impacts younger patients’ daily activities more significantly
Younger patients feel more negative about their disease
Younger patients want and need more support from HCPs to achieve optimal treatment management
“This is one of the few surveys that looks at the impact of COPD in different age groups,” said Professor Dr Dekhuijzen, Pulmonologist, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. “As healthcare professionals, we have to realise that the same disease has a different impact in younger and older patients, and that the perceived impact has to be addressed to tailor and optimise treatment to suit each patient.”
When looking specifically at the outcomes reported by younger patients (45-54 years old) versus older patients (≥65 years old):
· Younger patients more frequently reported that their COPD ‘extremely’ or ‘very much’ impacts their ability to carry out tasks outside the home (37% vs 22%) and travel long distances (38% vs 18%),[1] and they were more than twice as likely to need to plan their day around periods of breathlessness and/or coughing (41% vs 19%)[1]
· A significantly higher proportion of patients aged 45-54 years old reported “poor” or “very poor” wellbeing (35% vs 28%; P<0.05), and reported feeling “stressed” and “overwhelmed” 1.7 and 2.2 times more frequently (P<0.05), respectively[1]
· Reliance on physicians was more significant amongst younger patients, who were more than three times more likely to want information to aid them to better manage using their inhaler device (18% vs 58% did not want this type of information)[1]
“One possible explanation as to why the perceived burden differs strongly is that younger patients are usually more active in terms of their work and social life, and so have differing expectations about what life with COPD will be,” said Nicole Hass, Representative from the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA). “Although more research is needed to better understand why these age differences exist, these findings show we need to make patients more aware of how they can positively impact their disease progression through things like speaking to clinicians about optimal treatment aimed at keeping them active in their daily lives.”
Findings reinforce the need for HCPs and COPD patients, particularly younger ones, to work towards optimal treatment management and therapy aimed at improving symptoms and lessening the impact of the disease on patients’ quality of life. According to Dr. Paola Casarosa, Head of Global Therapeutic Areas at Boehringer Ingelheim, “Overall, the results of this survey align with our ongoing efforts as an organisation, highlighting the importance of optimising treatment and helping patients to maintain active lives.”
Intended audiences:
Global and local, in-country medical media.
This press release is issued from our Corporate Headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany, and is intended to provide information about the results of our global COPD patient survey.
For references and notes to editors, please visit: http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/perceived-burden-copd-higher-younger-patients
Boehringer Ingelheim
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2021년 9월 10일 15:15
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2021년 3월 2일 15:05