Background. Sex-based disparities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosis remain underexplored, particularly in primary care settings. This study assessed sex differences in clinical burden, diagnostic delay, and missed diagnostic opportunities using conventional and composite metrics. Methods. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in 166 newly diagnosed COPD patients (76 women, 90 men) from Spanish primary care. Clinical severity, healthcare use, and diagnostic timing were compared using Mann–Whitney and chi-squared tests. Composite indices included the Symptom Intensity Score, Diagnostic Inertia Indices, DOSE Index, and Diagnosis Complexity Score. Multivariable regressions evaluated independent associations. Results. At diagnosis, women showed a greater clinical and functional burden (FEV₁ % predicted: 50.4% vs. 61.4%, p < 0.001; symptom intensity z-score: 0.13 vs. −0.67, p < 0.001), higher diagnostic complexity (Diagnosis Complexity Score: 403.5 vs. 272.0, p < 0.001), and longer diagnostic delay (median: 133.0 vs. 66.5 days, p < 0.001). Stratified and composite analyses confirmed consistent sex-based asymmetries. In adjusted models, being female independently predicted a longer diagnostic delay (β = 0.888, p = 0.005), but was not significantly associated with the burden of missed diagnostic opportunities (MDOs) (β = 0.112, p = 0.395). Conclusions. Women with newly diagnosed COPD experience greater symptom burden and longer diagnostic delays. Composite metrics may improve the identification of diagnostic disparities in routine clinical settings.

The increasing number of high-resolution imaging tests performed for diagnostic or screening purposes has led to a rise in the identification of interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA). The objective of this work is to describe the oscillometric values of patients diagnosed with ILA and compare them with those obtained through other pulmonary function tests commonly used in clinical practice. This is a cross-sectional, observational, descriptive, single-center study in a sample of 43 patients with a previous diagnosis of ILA. We distinguish between non-subpleural ILA (9.3%), subpleural ILA (72.1%), and fibrotic subpleural ILA (18.6%). The difficulty of the test, assessed using a Likert scale from 1 to 5, is lower for oscillometry. There is a statistically significant correlation between the values obtained by baseline spirometry and those obtained by oscillometry in different parameters: X5 (p=0.022), X5in (p=0.026), and AX (p=0.007). The mean values of the oscillometric parameters are altered in patients with subpleural ILA, and this does not occur in patients with non-subpleural ILA. When evaluating patients with normal spirometry, oscillometry detected that 6% had alterations in R5 and 24% in X5; and among those with normal diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), 2.2% had alterations in R5 and 22.2% in X5. The study shows a statistically significant relationship in the parameters evaluated by baseline spirometry (forced vital capacity, FVC) and oscillometry. In conclusion, almost a quarter of patients with normal spirometry patterns show abnormalities in oscillometry (X5). Abnormalities in the mean oscillometry values are observed in patients with subpleural ILA. Patient satisfaction with the ease of performing oscillometry exceeds that of other traditional tests.