Acurácia do exame clínico no diagnóstico da DPOC

OBJECTIVE: Simple diagnostic methods can facilitate the diagnosis of COPD, which is a major public health problem. The objective of this study was to investigate the accuracy of clinical variables in the diagnosis of COPD. METHODS: Patients with COPD and control subjects were prospectively evaluated by two investigators regarding nine clinical variables. The likelihood ratio for the diagnosis of COPD was determined using a logistic regression model. RESULTS: The study comprised 98 patients with COPD (mean age, 62.3± 12.3 years; mean FEV1, 48.3 ± 21.6%) and 102 controls. The likelihood ratios (95% CIs) for the diagnosis of COPD were as follows: 4.75 (2.29-9.82; p 0.9; 2.36 (1.22-4.58; p 4 s; and 4.78 (2.13-10.70; p 4 cm from lower costal edge. Inter-rater reliability for those same variables was, respectively, 0.57, 0.45, 0.62, 0.32, 0.53, 0.32, 0.59, 0.52 and 0.44 (p < 0.0001 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Various clinical examination findings could be used as diagnostic tests for COPD.