Respiratory Sensation Assessment in COPD and healthy ageing

Globally, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is among the leading non-communicable diseases. Not much is known about the airway sensation in COPD. However, from my previous study [1], ~30% of the COPD group showed clinical signs of airway invasion during swallowing tests. Methods: To quantify respiratory airway sensation [2], I assessed load detection (Figure 1) and load perception of airway (using plugs) in people with COPD and healthy age matched control subjects (AMC). Results: The COPD participants had reduced load detection (P=0.037), which could further predispose them to aspirate and increase the risk of acute exacerbations of COPD (Fig 2). The load perception plug test showed a sensitivity of 80.0% and specificity of 15.4% in identifying airway invasion during swallowing. Conclusion: Reduced airway sensation may expose people with COPD to further complications which together reduce the quality of life of such patients with chronic pulmonary diseases, with some patients requiring ICU admission, further increasing the costs. 1. Epiu I. et al. Swallowing dynamics in COPD. ERJ Open Research 7: 00192-02021, 2021. 2. Boswell-Ruys CL et al. Resp Phys Neuro 281: 103490, 2020.