Unravelling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
The chronic lung disease COPD affects between 4-10% of Europeans, but about 70% of them are underdiagnosed: a major public health problem. By developing a simulation environment of the respiratory system and creating a decision-support system for clinicians, the European research project SYNERGY-COPD wants to improve diagnosis and management of the disease. The system allows doctors to anticipate the progression of COPD and to determine the most suitable treatment for each COPD patient. Doctors can also make use of a patented algorithm, developed within the project, to assess the quality of the Spirometry tests of their patients.
Three clinical studies were conducted: a retrospective study on two databases of 13 and 5 million patients; a prospective study on over 400 COPD patients; and a third combining these two. The results indicate the high potential of a systems approach to address COPD heterogeneity. Significant knowledge gaps were identified that are relevant to shape strategies to foster 4P Medicine for patients with COPD.
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Public dissemination: SYNERGY-COPD - www.youtube.com/watch;
