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BackgroundFew studies have examined changes in the pain experience of patients with COPD and predictors of pain in these patients.ObjectivesThe objectives of the study were to examine whether distinct groups of COPD patients could be identified based on changes in the occurrence and severity of pain over 12 months and to evaluate whether these groups differed on demographic, clinical, and pain characteristics, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).Patients and methodsA longitudinal study of 267 COPD patients with very severe COPD was conducted. Their mean age was 63 years, and 53% were females. The patients completed questionnaires including demographic and clinical variables, the Brief Pain Inventory, and the St Georges Respiratory Questionnaire at enrollment, and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months follow-up. In addition, spirometry and the 6 Minute Walk Test were performed. Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of patients with distinct pain profiles based on pain occurrence and worst pain severity.ResultsMost of the patients (77%) reported pain occurrence over 12 months. Of these, 48% were in the "high probability of pain" group, while 29% were in the "moderate probability of pain" group. For the worst pain severity, 37% were in the "moderate pain" and 39% were in the "mild pain" groups. Females and those with higher body mass index, higher number of comorbidities, and less education were in the pain groups. Patients in the higher pain groups reported higher pain interference scores, higher number of pain locations, and more respiratory symptoms. Few differences in HRQoL were found between the groups except for the symptom subscale.ConclusionPatients with COPD warrant comprehensive pain management. Clinicians may use this information to identify those who are at higher risk for persistent pain.

BackgroundIn addition to their respiratory symptoms, patients with COPD experience multiple, co-occurring symptoms.ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to identify subgroups of COPD patients based on their distinct experiences with 14 symptoms and to determine how these subgroups differed in demographic and clinical characteristics and disease-specific quality of life.Patients and methodsPatients with moderate, severe, and very severe COPD (n=267) completed a number of self-report questionnaires. Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of patients with distinct symptom experiences based on the occurrence of self-reported symptoms using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale.ResultsBased on the probability of occurrence of a number of physical and psychological symptoms, three subgroups of patients (ie, latent classes) were identified and named "high", "intermediate", and "low". Across the three latent classes, the pairwise comparisons for the classification of airflow limitation in COPD were not significantly different, which suggests that measurements of respiratory function are not associated with COPD patients' symptom burden and their specific needs for symptom management. While patients in both the "high" and "intermediate" classes had high occurrence rates for respiratory symptoms, patients in the "high" class had the highest occurrence rates for psychological symptoms. Compared with the "intermediate" class, patients in the "high" class were younger, more likely to be women, had significantly more acute exacerbations in the past year, and reported significantly worse disease-specific quality of life scores.ConclusionThese findings suggest that subgroups of COPD patients with distinct symptom experiences can be identified. Patients with a higher symptom burden warrant more detailed assessments and may have therapeutic needs that would not be identified using current classifications based only on respiratory function.

Background: Patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could have palliative care (PC) needs because of unmet needs such as dyspnoea. This may lead to anxiety and may have an impact on patients' ability to perform daily activities of living. PC can be started when patients with COPD have unmet needs and can be provided alongside disease-modifying therapies. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) could be an important measure to manage dyspnoea in patients with COPD in need of PC. A scoping review was conducted to gain an overview of the existing research and to identify knowledge gaps. The aim of this scoping review was to systematically map published studies on the use of NIV in patients with COPD with PC needs, including the perspectives and experiences of patients, families, and healthcare professionals (HCPs). Methods: This review was conducted following the framework of Arksey and O'Malley. The reporting of the review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The review protocol was published. AMED, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, PEDro, and PsycInfo were searched from inception to November 14, 2022. The included studies had to report the perspectives and experiences of COPD patients, relatives, and HCPs regarding NIV in the care of patients with COPD with PC needs. In pairs, the authors independently assessed studies' eligibility and extracted data. The data were organised thematically. The results were discussed in a consultation exercise. Results: This review included 33 papers from 32 studies. Four thematic groupings were identified: preferences and attitudes towards the use of NIV; patient participation in the decision-making process of NIV treatment; conflicting results on the perceived benefits and burdens of treatment; and heterogenous clinical outcomes in experimental studies. Patients perceived NIV as a 'life buoy' to keep them alive. Many patients wanted to take part in the decision-making process regarding NIV treatment but expressed varying degrees of inclusion by HCPs in such decision-making. Conflicting findings were identified regarding the perceived benefits and burdens of NIV treatment. Diversity in heterogeneous clinical outcomes were reported in experimental studies. Conclusions: There is a need for more studies designed to investigate the effectiveness of NIV as a palliative measure for patients with COPD with PC needs using comprehensive outcomes. It is especially important to gain more knowledge on the experiences of all stakeholders in the use of home-based NIV treatment to these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]