Impact of Comorbidities on the Management Outcome of Acute Exacerbation of COPD

Abstract

Background & Aims : Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity globally. COPD, if associated with multiple comorbidities, has a greater impact on treatment outcome and hospital stay, hence effective control of COPD is crucial for enhancing quality of life. Our study assesses the effect of comorbidities on management outcomes in acute exacerbations of COPD patients. Materials & Methods : An analytical cross-sectional study was planned on 630 patients. Patients with acute exacerbations of COPD who were admitted to pulmonary ward and ICU were enrolled in the study. Data analysis was done using MS Excel and SPSS version 21.0. Unpaired students’t-test was used and p < 0.05 was taken to be statistically significant. Results: 61.9% of patients had at least one associated comorbidity e.g. CAD (37.2%), hypertension (28.2%), diabetes mellitus (24.3%), and CVD (10.3%). We found that acute exacerbation of COPD patients with comorbidities had prolonged hospital stay, greater ICU admissions, and need for invasive ventilation as compared to those without comorbidities. Presence of comorbidities with COPD was significantly associated with duration of hospital stay. Conclusion : Comorbidities associated with acute exacerbations of COPD increase the hospital stay, need for ICU admission and more invasive ventilation, and reduce the impact of treatments.