Introduction: It is widely recognised that health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is impaired in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Most previous studies were conducted among the younger adult population and there is limited information on the elderly population. This study aimed to determine the COPD assessment test (CAT) score in the elderly with COPD. Methods: This was a crosssectional study involving 140 elderly patients who had been diagnosed with COPD at two selected government institutions. Data on socio-demographic and health status were collected by interviewing patients and reviewing their medical records. The HRQOL was measured using CAT. The independence sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were conducted to compare the CAT scores with socio-demographic and health status. Results: The socio-demographic and health characteristics of the patients were as follows: majority (54%) were aged 60-70 years, male (97%), Malay (59%), married (75%), ex-smokers (72%), had attained primary education (48%), had co-morbidities (54%), no history of hospitalisation or visits to the emergency department due to COPD (57%), and were in moderate stage of airflow obstruction (53%). The mean of CAT score was 21.87±6.85 and the majority of the patients were classified as having worst symptoms of COPD (93%) as they had high CAT score which was ≥ 10. Conclusion: Majority of the patients in this study had high scores of CAT, which indicated poor HRQOL. Ex-smokers had higher scores compared to non-smokers. More attention need to be given to these subgroups in order to increase their quality of life.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.