Hospitalizations due to and with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Galicia: 20 years of evolution

This work aims to analyze the evolution of COPD-related hospitalizations in Galicia from 1996 to 2018 both as main cause of admission (DUE TO COPD) or when coded in any diagnostic order (WITH COPD), assessing the influence of age, sex, seasonality, and other main causes of the hospitalization.

An analysis was conducted of administrative healthcare database (CMBD) data on index COPD-related hospitalizations in Galicia from 1996 to 2018. Crude, specific, and standardized rates were calculated for the entire sample and according to age and sex groups.

In the period from 1996 to 2018, there were 310,883 index admissions WITH COPD in Galicia, of which 29.6% were DUE TO COPD. Both WITH COPD and DUE TO COPD admission rates increased, mainly in men. There was a clear seasonality that was especially relevant in the DUE TO COPD group. The mean male-to-female ratio was approximately 4:1 in both groups, although it was lower in the extreme age groups, with no change over time. The mean age at admission increased three years in men during this period; there were no changes among women. The main causes of admission in those not hospitalized DUE TO COPD were heart failure and pneumonia.

The combined evaluation of records of hospital admissions WITH COPD and DUE TO COPD offers additional information for a better understanding of the trends of this disease and allows for establishing hypotheses that explain the results described, providing information for better healthcare planning.