Increase Seen in COPD Hospital Admissions Since 2010 in Canada

MONDAY, Sept. 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The number of hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has increased rapidly since 2010 in Canada, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

Joseph E. Amegadzie, Ph.D., from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues used a comprehensive national database of hospital admissions in Canada to identify those aged 40 years and older with a main discharge diagnosis of COPD. Sex-specific, age-standardized trends in annual rates of hospital admissions were calculated for COPD for younger (40 to 64 years) and older (≥65 years) adults.

A total of 1,134,359 hospital admissions were for COPD over 16 years. The researchers found that the total number of admissions increased by 68.8 percent between 2002 and 2017. There was a 30.0 percent increase observed in the overall crude admission rate (from 368 to 479 per 100,000 population) and a 9.6 percent increase in the sex- and age-standardized admission rate (from 437 to 479 per 100,000 population). Age-standardized rates increased by 12.2, 24.4, and 29.8 percent among younger women, younger men, and older women, respectively, and decreased by 9.0 percent among older men. There was a 23.0 percent decline seen in the all-cause sex- and age-standardized admission rate during the same period.

"Our findings call into question whether progress is being made in improving COPD care and outcomes," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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