Impact of Smoking Cessation Duration on Exacerbation Readmission Frequency and Hospitalization Costs in COPD - Beijing Municipality, China, 2013-2021.

What is already known on this topic?: Smoking cessation can slow lung function decline and reduce exacerbation risk in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the impact of smoking cessation duration on the frequency of exacerbation readmissions and associated healthcare costs remains poorly understood in real-world settings.

What is added by this report?: We conducted a retrospective cohort study that included 7,868 COPD patients from Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital. The 3-year exacerbation readmission rate and hospitalization costs declined with increasing duration of smoking cessation beyond 10 years, particularly among patients under 60 years of age.

What are the implications for public health practice?: Early smoking cessation and maintaining abstinence for more than 10 years could help reduce healthcare costs in patients with COPD, highlighting the importance of integrating smoking cessation interventions into COPD management.