Characterisation of a population at increased risk of COPD [Caracterização de uma população com risco acrescido de DPOC]

Introduction: smoking is the main risk factor for copd,and it is estimated that 15-20% of smokers will develop the pathology. characterising this risk population is an important step in improved diagnosis of copd,an increasing primary care challenge. aims: to determine the percentage of smokers identified in patients aged 45-65 years old in a health centre,and their characterisation; to determine possible relationships between respiratory symptoms and abnormal obstruction of the small airways and the other variables studied. material and methods: observational,analytical,cross-sectional study carried out in a portuguese health centre. population: smokers aged 45-65 years old who filled in a questionnaire and underwent spirometry. statistical analysis was performed with spss v.13.0 (level of significance 0.05). results: the sample was composed of 157 participants (31% ♀ and 69% ♂); average age 53.85 years; average age at start of smoking 16.64 years; average tobacco consumption 37.78 pack-years. respiratory symptoms were present in 68.8% of the individuals,and were more frequent in men,those who started smoking earlier and those with higher tobacco consumption (p<0.05). thirty percent had abnormal obstruction of the small airways,with this more frequent in older smokers and those with heavier tobacco consumption (p<0.05). discussion and conclusions: the underdiagnosis of smoking raises awareness of the importance of identifying this risk population and the need to implement preventative measures. these,in tandem with a better characterisation of this population,may contribute to the improved diagnosis and management of copd.