The COPD assessment test correlates well with the computed tomography measurements in COPD patients in China

Yan Zhang,* You-Hui Tu,* Guang-He FeiPulmonary Department, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally tothis workBackground: The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) assessment test (CAT) is a validated simple instrument to assess health status, and it correlates well with the severity of airway obstruction in COPD patients. However, little is known about the relationships between CAT scores and quantitative computed tomography (CT) measurements of emphysema and airway wall thickness in COPD patients in the People’s Republic of China. Methods: One hundred and twelve participants including 63 COPD patients and 49 normal control subjects were recruited. All participants were examined with high-resolution CT to get the measurements of emphysema (percentage of pixels below -950 HU [%LAA–950]) and airway wall thickness (wall area percentage and the ratio of airway wall thickness to total diameter). Meanwhile, they completed the CAT and modified Medical Research Council questionnaire independently.Results: Significantly higher CAT scores and CT measurements were found in COPD patients compared with normal control subjects (P