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Discriminative Accuracy of FEV1:FVC Thresholds for COPD-Related Hospitalization and Mortality.

TitleDiscriminative Accuracy of FEV1:FVC Thresholds for COPD-Related Hospitalization and Mortality.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2019
AuthorsBhatt, SP, Balte, PP, Schwartz, JE, Cassano, PA, Couper, D, Jacobs, DR, Kalhan, R, O'Connor, GT, Yende, S, Sanders, JL, Umans, JG, Dransfield, MT, Chaves, PH, White, WB, Oelsner, EC
JournalJAMA
Volume321
Issue24
Pagination2438-2447
Date Published2019 06 25
ISSN1538-3598
KeywordsAged, Aged, 80 and over, Cohort Studies, Female, Forced Expiratory Volume, Hospitalization, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Prognosis, Proportional Hazards Models, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive, Risk Assessment, Vital Capacity
Abstract<p><b>Importance: </b>According to numerous current guidelines, the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requires a ratio of the forced expiratory volume in the first second to the forced vital capacity (FEV1:FVC) of less than 0.70, yet this fixed threshold is based on expert opinion and remains controversial.</p><p><b>Objective: </b>To determine the discriminative accuracy of various FEV1:FVC fixed thresholds for predicting COPD-related hospitalization and mortality.</p><p><b>Design, Setting, and Participants: </b>The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Pooled Cohorts Study harmonized and pooled data from 4 US general population-based cohorts (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study; Cardiovascular Health Study; Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study; and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis). Participants aged 45 to 102 years were enrolled from 1987 to 2000 and received follow-up longitudinally through 2016.</p><p><b>Exposures: </b>Presence of airflow obstruction, which was defined by a baseline FEV1:FVC less than a range of fixed thresholds (0.75 to 0.65) or less than the lower limit of normal as defined by Global Lung Initiative reference equations (LLN).</p><p><b>Main Outcomes and Measures: </b>The primary outcome was a composite of COPD hospitalization and COPD-related mortality, defined by adjudication or administrative criteria. The optimal fixed FEV1:FVC threshold was defined by the best discrimination for these COPD-related events as indexed using the Harrell C statistic from unadjusted Cox proportional hazards models. Differences in C statistics were compared with respect to less than 0.70 and less than LLN thresholds using a nonparametric approach.</p><p><b>Results: </b>Among 24 207 adults in the pooled cohort (mean [SD] age at enrollment, 63 [10.5] years; 12 990 [54%] women; 16 794 [69%] non-Hispanic white; 15 181 [63%] ever smokers), complete follow-up was available for 11 077 (77%) at 15 years. During a median follow-up of 15 years, 3925 participants experienced COPD-related events over 340 757 person-years of follow-up (incidence density rate, 11.5 per 1000 person-years), including 3563 COPD-related hospitalizations and 447 COPD-related deaths. With respect to discrimination of COPD-related events, the optimal fixed threshold (0.71; C statistic for optimal fixed threshold, 0.696) was not significantly different from the 0.70 threshold (difference, 0.001 [95% CI, -0.002 to 0.004]) but was more accurate than the LLN threshold (difference, 0.034 [95% CI, 0.028 to 0.041]). The 0.70 threshold provided optimal discrimination in the subgroup analysis of ever smokers and in adjusted models.</p><p><b>Conclusions and Relevance: </b>Defining airflow obstruction as FEV1:FVC less than 0.70 provided discrimination of COPD-related hospitalization and mortality that was not significantly different or was more accurate than other fixed thresholds and the LLN. These results support the use of FEV1:FVC less than 0.70 to identify individuals at risk of clinically significant COPD.</p>
DOI10.1001/jama.2019.7233
Alternate JournalJAMA
PubMed ID31237643
PubMed Central IDPMC6593636
Grant ListK23 HL133438 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
RC1 HL100543 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95169 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL093081 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG023629 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL080295 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95161 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95168 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95162 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95165 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95167 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95159 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95163 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R21 HL129924 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95164 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL130114 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95166 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
K23 HL130627 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC95160 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG028050 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL077612 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 NR012459 / NR / NINR NIH HHS / United States
ePub date: 
19/06