Discordance in treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following GesEPOC guideline vs. GOLD.

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacological treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Spain is usually chosen according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) or Spanish guidelines for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (GesEPOC). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the degree of concordance between treatment for newly diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients according to GOLD and GesEPOC.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Simulation study. The following variables were used: FEV1 %, exacerbations, dyspnoea at first evaluation, blood eosinophilia, personal history of asthma, and degree of bronchodilator reversibility. Four investigators classified and assigned a treatment to each patient (2 using GOLD criteria and the other 2 using GesEPOC). Global Kappa index was calculated.

RESULTS: The database included 467 patients. Agreement between treatment decided using GOLD and GesEPOC was poor (Kappa: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.12-0.23).

CONCLUSION: There is a poor agreement between GOLD and GesEPOC recommendations for initial chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment.