The Clinical Characteristics, Treatment and Prognosis of Tuberculosis-associated COPD

the frequency of moderate/severe acute exacerbation of COPD during the follow-up of 12 months

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) still imposes a substantial health and economic
 burden worldwide. Pulmonary tuberculosis has been confirmed as an important risk factor for
 COPD and this specific phenotype is thereby named as tuberculosis-associated COPD. Although
 it is a generally accepted concept, several relevant problems need to be addressed, including
 how to define this phenotype more precisely, what the clinical characteristics and prognosis
 are as well as which kind of pharmacologic intervention is optimal.
 
 In this study, tuberculosis-associated COPD patients (study group) and non-tuberculosis
 associated COPD patients (control group) are recruited. After collecting baseline information
 of participants, the investigators arrange for participants to follow up in the outpatient
 for reassessment with a scheduled interval of 6 months, which lasts for 1 year. Primary
 outcome of this study is the frequency of moderate/severe acute exacerbation of COPD during
 the follow-up of 12 months. By conducting a multicenter prospective cohort study in China,
 the researchers intend to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic predictors,
 explore plausible therapeutic regimens and promote precise diagnosis and treatment for
 tuberculosis-associated COPD.