Treatments Used by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in Brazil: National Survey of Health, 2013

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of treatments used for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Brazilian adult population.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study with data from the 2013 Brazilian National Survey of Health, including individuals aged 40 years or older, with a self-reported medical diagnosis of COPD, chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema, who were asked about treatments used for disease management.

Results: A total of 60,202 adults were interviewed, of which 636 were 40 years of age or older and had reported a medical diagnosis of COPD, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis. Less than half (49.4%) of the diagnosed population reported using some type of treatment, with differences regarding the macro-region of the country (South 53.8% - Northeast 41.2%, p = 0.007). Pharmacological treatment was the most reported, and emphysema patients had the highest proportion of those undergoing more than one type of treatment. Among the individuals who reported having only chronic bronchitis, 55.1% (95%CI: 48.7-61.4) used medication, 4.7% (95%CI: 2.6-8.3) underwent physical therapy, and 6.0% (95%CI: 3.6-9.9) oxygen therapy. On the other hand, among the emphysema patients, 44.1% (95%CI: 36.8-51.7) underwent drug treatment, 8.8% (95%CI: 5.4-14.2) physical therapy, and 10.0% (95%CI: 6.3-15.6) oxygen therapy.

Conclusion: The prevalence of treatments for COPD management was below ideal in 2013. The pharmacological treatment was the main type of treatment, followed by oxygen therapy and physical therapy.