title: Course of COPD assessment test (CAT) and clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ) scores during recovery from exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  COPD exacerbations have a negative impact on lung function, decrease quality of life (QoL) and increase the risk of death. The objective of this study was to assess the course of health status after an outpatient or inpatient exacerbation in patients with COPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is an epidemiological, prospective, multicentre study that was conducted in 79 hospitals and primary care centres in Spain. Four hundred seventy-six COPD patients completed COPD assessment test (CAT) and Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) questionnaires during the 24 hours after presenting at hospital or primary care centres with symptoms of an exacerbation, and also at weeks 4-6. The scores from the CAT and CCQ were evaluated and compared at baseline and after recovery from the exacerbation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 164 outpatients (33.7%) and 322 inpatients (66.3%) were included in the study. The majority were men (88.2%), the mean age was 69.4 years (SD = 9.5) and the mean FEV1 (%) was 47.7% (17.4%). During the exacerbation, patients presented high scores in the CAT: [mean: 22.0 (SD = 7.0)] and the CCQ: [mean: 4.4 (SD = 1.2)]. After recovery there was a significant reduction in the scores of both questionnaires [CAT: mean: -9.9 (SD = 5.1) and CCQ: mean: -3.1 (SD = 1.1)]. Both questionnaires showed a strong correlation during and after the exacerbation and the best predictor of the magnitude of improvement in the scores was the severity of each score at onset.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to their good correlation, CAT and CCQ can be useful tools to measure health status during an exacerbation and to evaluate recovery. However, new studies are necessary in order to identify which factors are influencing the course of the recovery of health status after a COPD exacerbation.
authors.affiliation: Pneumology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Ciber de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERS), Barcelona, Spain. mmiravitlles@vhebron.net.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miravitlles
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García-Sidro
authors.forename: Alonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández-Nistal
authors.forename: María Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Buendía
authors.forename: María José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Espinosa de los Monteros
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Molina
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D018450:Disease Progression; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires