Abstract

Objective: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a major cause of hospitalizations, and associated with a greater risk of mortality in subsequent years. This study aimed to determine potential determinants of survival in a group of patients hospitalized for AECOPD. Material and Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 193 patients hospitalized for an AECOPD between the years 2002 and 2004 was performed. Patients? demographics, comorbidities, clinical, laboratory data on admission were recorded. In-hospital mortality was determined. Patients were followed-up for four years after discharge. Results: The mean age was 65.49 ± 8.85 and 94.8% of the patients were males. In-hospital mortality rate was 5.2%. Twenty six patients (13.5%) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The mortality rates were 15.5%, 23.8%, 32.1%, and 36.8% 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that increased age (HR 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07), lower BMI (HR 0.89; 95% CI, 0.84-0.94), GOLD stage IV (HR 2.74; 95% CI, 1.31-5.70), cor pulmonale (HR 3.53; 95% CI, 2.15-5.80) and ICU admission (HR 3.21; 95% CI, 1.84-5.61) were independently related to mortality. Conclusion: Advanced age, severe COPD, lower BMI, cor pulmonale, and ICU admission were independently associated with mortality after hospitalization for an acute exacerbation. With this regional data from Turkey, it has been concluded that it is useful to have lung function test data for COPD patients and to evaluate the disease stage as the predictors of mortality after acute exacerbations.

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