New drugs and screening devices in COPD guidelines

6minutes news, 2012

Simple lung screening devices may be more practical than spirometry for early detection of COPD in primary care, according to new Australian guidelines.
While spirometry is still the gold standard for diagnosis of COPD, simple devices such as the Piko6 and COPD6 that measure FEV1/FEV6 may help case finding when used in combination with a symptom checklist, according to updated COPD-X released by of The Australian Lung Foundation.
The guidelines say that early diagnosis is crucial as quality of life deteriorates quickly in patients with more severe COPD.  The guidelines re-iterate that smoking cessation is the most important step in preventing decline in lung function, and recommend cessation programs based on counselling and nicotine replacement therapy. ...
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