Should the number of acute exacerbations in the previous year be used to guide treatments in COPD?
J Mark FitzGeraldJames McCormackJohn PetkauLarry D LyndTae Yoon LeeDon D SinPublished in: The European respiratory journal (2021)
While the underlying AECOPD rate is a stable trait, the frequent exacerbator phenotype based on observed AECOPD patterns is unstable, so much so that its suitability for informing treatment decisions should be questioned. Whether evaluating AECOPD history over longer durations or using multivariate prediction models can result in more stable phenotyping needs to be evaluated.