Acute Exacerbation and Respiratory InfectionS in COPD (AERIS): protocol for a prospective, observational cohort study

Bourne, Simon; Cohet, Catherine; Kim, Viktoriya; Barton, Anna; Tuck, Andy; Aris, Emmanuel; Mesia-Vela, Sonia; Devaster, Jeanne-Marie; Ballou, W Ripley; Clarke, Stuart; Wilkinson, Tom

A major strength of the AERIS study design is the comprehensive assessment of clinical status, microbiology, functional status, nutritional status, health-related quality-of-life and healthcare resource utilisation in individual patients in a single large cohort during both stable COPD and AECOPD. The analyses proposed in this study will generate epidemiological data to complement that derived from existing COPD cohorts and further explore determinants of COPD and the contribution of bacterial and viral pathogens to AECOPD, as well as to provide some understanding of the limitations of existing data. As exacerbation visits are triggered by patient diary data, accurate and timely diary completion is essential. All subjects participating in this study receive diary training at enrolment and support is available from the study team at all times to promote accurate and complete diary keeping. Cohort retention is a key factor in the successful delivery of such a study and with in-depth sampling protocols, participant engagement, comfort and feedback are key factors in optimising cohort retention and comprehensive data collection.