Prevalence of Comorbidities Among COPD Patients: A Comparative Case-Control Study in Kashmir

Abstract

Background: COPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease characterized by airflow limitation, which is a result of continuous and consistent use of tobacco smoke or exposure of respiratory tract to noxious stimuli or recurrent childhood respiratory tract infection. Methods: A cross section of population from one of the assembly constituencies of Srinagar city has been taken as an area of sampling. A sample size of about 400 subjects was taken from three different electoral wards based on random table method as per defined inclusion criteria. Results: Majority of the COPD patients accounting for (33.8%) were aging from 40 to 50 years, followed by (31.1%) falling in the age interval (61-70) years. The present study revealed that commonest comorbidities among COPD patients were hypertension (56.7%), Osteoporosis (41%), anxiety (32.4%), diabetes (24.3%) and HTN CVD (22.9%). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the prevalence of chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, HTN CVD, RA osteoporosis, anxiety, proximal myopathy, and insomnia are significantly higher among COPD cases compared to healthy controls. Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory tract infection, comorbidities