Epidemiology of Chronic Bronchitis in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Epidemiology of Chronic Bronchitis in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of chronic bronchitis in patients
 suffering from moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to
 assess the difference in exacerbation rates in patients suffering from moderate to very
 severe COPD with chronic bronchitis vs. a population of patients without chronic bronchitis.
This was an observational study so participants only took medication that was prescribed by
 their regular healthcare provider. No additional study medication was administered. This
 study enrolled patients who were previously diagnosed with moderate to very severe chronic
 obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study looked at the prevalence of chronic
 bronchitis in patients suffering from moderate, severe or very severe COPD, and it also
 compared worsening of COPD in patients with or without chronic bronchitis. This study
 enrolled 976 patients. This multi-centre trial was conducted in Belgium and Luxembourg. The
 overall time to participate in this study was at a single, regularly scheduled visit at the
 pulmonologists office. There were no follow-up assessments for this study.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  1. Written informed consent. 2. Age ≥ 40 years. 3. Forced expiratory volume in one
 second (FEV1)/Forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (post-bronchodilator) <70%. 4. FEV1
 (post-bronchodilator) < 80% of predicted.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  1. Moderate and severe exacerbations during the last 4 weeks. 2. Pregnancy. 3. Already
 participated in the study (allowed to participate only once).