PRIME aims to detect and early treat acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). COPD is a respiratory disease associated with ageing, with a substantial and increasing burden worldwide and in Portugal, mainly due to its frequent exacerbations.

Early detection and treatment of AECOPD may thus lead to the optimisation of patients’ outcomes and reducing the burden associated with COPD. However, there is no model for early detection of AECOPD in clinical practice. The pulmonary microbiota has the potential to inform the trajectory of COPD, including AECOPD and its phenotypes, and therefore it will be investigated.

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a key component of early treatment of AECOPD, however, supply is scarce and is usually only available in hospitals, although most AECOPD are managed in the community. Therefore, PR will be implemented in the community and a clinical decision algorithm will be developed to prioritize patients who will benefit most from PR, thus increasing access to evidence-based PR.

Principal Investigator: Alda Marques

Institutional Partners and Others 

• University of Aveiro

Funding: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028806