Characteristics by physician-assigned severity of asthma, asthma+COPD and COPD patients in the NOVELTY study

Insight into the criteria that physicians use to classify asthma and COPD severity is crucial to understand treatment decision-making, identify distinct patient phenotypes and drive personalised care. The NOVEL observational longiTudinal studY (NOVELTY) is a global, prospective, study of >11,000 adult patients with physician-assigned asthma and/or COPD, stratified by physician-assigned severity, from primary and specialist care. NOVELTY aims to enhance our understanding of obstructive lung disease, including current treatment patterns and disease burden. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of the patients included in NOVELTY by physician-assigned disease severity. By March 2018, 11,308 patients from 19 countries were enrolled (11,289 included in baseline analysis; 47% from primary care and 74% Caucasian); recruitment in China is ongoing. Across all diagnoses, spirometry results and patient-reported outcomes were worse and exacerbations rates higher [Table 1] with increasing disease severity. From preliminary unadjusted data, blood neutrophil counts increased with severity across diagnoses. Physician-assigned severity was associated with more patient-reported symptoms, lower lung function, more exacerbations and higher blood neutrophil counts. Future analyses will explore which features are the strongest determinants of physician-assigned severity, and any variations by diagnosis.