Validation of probable COPD as proposed by the Lancet Commission at a tertiary smoking cessation outpatient clinic

<bold>Background:</bold> Screening methods have improved the course of many chronic diseases. However, data regarding early diagnosis and treatment approaches in COPD is lacking. The Lancet Commission has recently published proposal for defining possible COPD, which includes respiratory symptoms in people at risk and a CAT score of ≥10 points. We aimed to validate this proposal through spirometry in patients who visit our smoking cessation clinic. <bold>Methods:</bold> Volunteers who were 40≥years and had a smoking history of ≥15 p/year were included in the study. Individuals with chronic lung disease were excluded. All participants underwent a detailed case report form, a COPD assessment test, and spirometry. <bold>Results:</bold> A total of 224 volunteers with a mean age of 53.2±8.7 years were enrolled, of whom 49.6% were females. Out of 90 participants who had cough or dyspnea or exacerbation and CAT≥10, it was determined that 22 (24.4%) had COPD according to prebronchodilator FEV1/FVC. This frequency was significantly higher than COPD in participants without these features (9%) (P = 0.002). <bold>In conclusion:</bold> the pre-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio was ≤0.7 in approximately one-quarter of the individuals who had probable COPD according to the diagnostic algorithm of the Lancet Commission. We believe that validating the possible COPD approach in risky populations will benefit for early diagnosis of the disease.