Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28860736›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease2017

Overdiagnosis of COPD in hospitalized patients.

Kerry Spero, Ghiath Bayasi, Linda Beaudry, Kimberly R Barber, Fahim Khorfan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Chronic tic cough in adults: a case report.Frontiers in medicine · 2025
    Article
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  5. Article
  6. Review
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  8. Article
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  12. Article
  13. GPs should not try to detect mild COPD.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2020
    Article
  14. Clinical Impact of Multidisciplinary Outpatient Care on Outcomes of Patients with COPD.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2020
    Observational
  15. Article
  16. Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Kerry SperoDepartment of Medical Education, Genesys Regional Medical Center, Grand Blanc.
Ghiath BayasiDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
Linda BeaudryDepartment of Respiratory Therapy.
Kimberly R BarberDepartment of Research, Genesys Regional Medical Center, Grand Blanc, MI, USA.
Fahim KhorfanDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is usually made based on history and physical exam alone. Symptoms of dyspnea, cough, and wheeze are nonspecific and attributable to a variety of diseases. Confirmatory testing to verify the airflow obstruction is available but rarely used, which may result in substantial misdiagnoses of COPD. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of confirmatory testing and assess the accuracy of the diagnosis.

methodsFrom January 2011 through December 2013, 6,018 patients with COPD as a principal or leading diagnosis were admitted at a community teaching hospital. Of those, only 504 (8.4%) patients had spirometry performed during hospitalization. The studies were reviewed by two board-certified pulmonologists to verify presence of persistent airflow obstruction. Charts of these patients were then examined to determine if the spirometry results had changed the diagnosis or the treatment plan for these patients.

resultsSpirometry confirmed the diagnosis of COPD in 270 patients (69.2%) treated as COPD during their hospitalization. Restrictive lung disease was found to be present in 104 patients (26.6%) and normal in 16 patients (4.2%). Factors predictive of airflow obstruction included smoking status and higher pack-year history. Negative predictive factors included higher body mass index (BMI) and other medical comorbidities. These patients were significantly more likely to be misdiagnosed and mistreated as COPD.

conclusionUp to a third of patients diagnosed and treated as COPD in the hospital may be inaccurately diagnosed as COPD based on confirmatory spirometry testing. Factors contributing to the inaccuracy of diagnosis include less smoking history, high BMI, and associated comorbidities.

Indexed as

HospitalizationInpatientsMedical OveruseSpirometryAgedAged, 80 and overDiagnostic ErrorsFemaleHospitals, CommunityHospitals, TeachingHumansLungMaleMichiganMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsCOPDmisdiagnosisoverdiagnosisspirometry

Identifiers

PMID28860736
PMCPMC5565250

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.