Clinical presentation and predictors of outcome in patients with severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring admission to intensive care unit

Table 1 Demographic characteristics and co-morbid conditions in 116 patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admitted to the medical intensive care unit

Age (years) (mean ± SD)	62.1 ± 9.8
Gender
Male	102
Female	14
Smoking (all males)	22.3 ± 11.2 pack years
Duration of symptoms (years) (mean ± SD)	7.6 ± 5.2
COPD, GOLD stage*
Moderate [No. (%)]	25 (21.6)
Severe [No. (%)]	55 (47.4)
Very severe [No. (%)]	36 (31.0)
Co-morbid conditions
Hypertension [No. (%)]	40 (34.5)
Alcoholism [No. (%)]	38 (32.8)
Type II diabetes mellitus [No. (%)]	36 (31.0) †
Past pulmonary tuberculosis [No. (%)]	33 (28.4) ‡
Coronary artery disease [No. (%)]	12 (10.3)
Chronic renal failure [No. (%)]	10 (08.6)
Number of co-morbid illnesses
0 [No. (%)]	35 (30.2)
1 [No. (%)]	53 (45.7)
2 [No. (%)]	18 (15.5)
3 [No. (%)]	07 (06.0)
4 [No. (%)]	03 (02.6)

GOLD = Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (reference 1)
COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
* In all patients post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁)/forced vital capacity (FVC) was ≤ 0.7. Moderately severe COPD, FEV₁ = 50 – 80% predicted; severe COPD, FEV₁ = 30 – 50% predicted; very severe COPD = <30% predicted (reference 1)
† 3 patients had diabetic ketoacidosis and 5 patients had active pulmonary tuberculosis
‡ Clinical and radiographic evidence of past tuberculosis was present
More than one co-morbid conditions were present in several patients

ISSN: 1471-2466