Trends in the presentation of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring admission to ICU: Experience at a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common, and preventable disease. It is the third most common cause of death in the world 1. Acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) is a common cause of hospital visits and leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality2. AE-COPD is characterized by acute deteriorations of the patient’s clinical status; worsening of health-related quality of life, lung function, and physical act ivity; disease progression; and an increased risk of death. Very little published data are available, especially from India, about the trends and seasonal variations of AE-COPD. This prompted us to undertake the present study.