Objective: Simple diagnostic methods can facilitate the diagnosis of COPD, which is a major public health problem. The objective of this study was to investigate the accuracy of clinical variables in the diagnosis of COPD. Methods: Patients with COPD and control subjects were prospectively evaluated by two investigators regarding nine clinical variables. The likelihood ratio for the diagnosis of COPD was determined using a logistic regression model. Results: The study comprised 98 patients with COPD (mean age, 62.3 ± 12.3 years; mean FEV1, 48.3 ± 21.6%) and 102 controls. The likelihood ratios (95% CIs) for the diagnosis of COPD were as follows: 4.75 (2.29-9.82; p < 0.0001) for accessory muscle recruitment; 5.05 (2.72-9.39; p < 0.0001) for pursed-lip breathing; 2.58 (1.45‑4.57; p < 0.001) for barrel chest; 3.65 (2.01-6.62; p < 0.0001) for decreased chest expansion; 7.17 (3.75-13.73; p < 0.0001) for reduced breath sounds; 2.17 (1.01-4.67; p < 0.05) for a thoracic index ≥ 0.9; 2.36 (1.22-4.58; p < 0.05) for laryngeal height ≤ 5.5 cm; 3.44 (1.92-6.16; p < 0.0001) for forced expiratory time ≥ 4 s; and 4.78 (2.13-10.70; p < 0.0001) for lower liver edge ≥ 4 cm from lower costal edge. Inter-rater reliability for those same variables was, respectively, 0.57, 0.45, 0.62, 0.32, 0.53, 0.32, 0.59, 0.52 and 0.44 (p < 0.0001 for all). Conclusions: Various clinical examination findings could be used as diagnostic tests for COPD.

Keywords: Physical examination; Diagnosis; Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive.

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of the use of sputum examination in the clinical management of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in a general hospital and to determine whether its use has an impact on mortality. Methods: The medical records of CAP patients treated as inpatients between May and November of 2004 at the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital, located in Porto Alegre, Brazil, were reviewed regarding the following aspects: age; gender; severity of pneumonia (Fine score); presence of sputum; sputum bacteriology; treatment history; change in treatment; and mortality. Results: A total of 274 CAP patients (134 males and 140 females) were evaluated. Using the Fine score to quantify severity, we classified 79 (28.8%) of those 274 patients as class II, 45 (16.4%) as class III, 97 (35.4%) as class IV, and 53 (19.3%) as class V. Sputum examination was carried out in 92 patients (33.6%). A valid sample was obtained in 37 cases (13.5%), and an etiological diagnosis was obtained in 26 (9.5%), resulting in a change of treatment in only 9 cases (3.3%). Overall mortality was 18.6%. Advanced age (above 65), CAP severity, and dry cough were associated with an increase in the mortality rate. Sputum examination did not alter any clinical outcome or have any influence on mortality. Conclusion: Sputum examination was used in a minority of patients and was not associated with any noticeable benefit in the clinical management of patients with CAP treated in a hospital setting.

Keywords: Pneumonia/etiology; Sputum; Diagnosis.