Authors: Chen, Y.¹; Li, Q.²; Johansen, H.³

Source: The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 13, Number 3, March 2009 , pp. 394-399(6)

Publisher: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To determine sex and age variations in hospital readmissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with overall and cardiac comorbid conditions.

DESIGN: A one-year follow-up study was conducted for 108 726 COPD in-patients aged ≥40 years who were discharged alive after their first admission in the 1999-2000 fiscal year.

RESULTS: Within a year, 38 955 of the patients were readmitted to hospital for COPD. The incidence rate of COPD readmission was 49.1% per year. It was higher for men than women aged ≥70 years, but was almost the same for patients aged <70 years. The length of hospital stay and the Charlson Index at baseline moderately predicted 1-year COPD readmission in younger age groups and in female patients. Congestive heart failure at baseline was associated with a 20% increase in incidence that was age-related. Pulmonary heart disease was less common but was a significant predictor in almost all age and sex groups. Ischemic heart disease and arrhythmia were moderate predictors, and were only significant in women.

CONCLUSIONS: Women aged <70 years had rates of COPD readmission similar to those of men. Cardiac events were strongly associated with COPD readmissions, which were modified by sex and age.

Keywords: age; cardiac; COPD; comorbidity; database; hospitalization; lung; sex

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 2: Surveillance Division, Centre of Chronic Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 3: Health Statistics Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Publication date: 2009-03-01

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• The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease publishes articles on all aspects of lung health, including public health-related issues such as training programmes, cost-benefit analysis, legislation, epidemiology, intervention studies and health systems research. The IJTLD is dedicated to the continuing education of physicians and health personnel and the dissemination of information on tuberculosis and lung health world-wide.

  Certain IJTLD articles are selected for translation into French, Spanish, Chinese or Russian. They are available on the Union website

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