The aim of the present study was to analyse the risk of rehospitalisation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and associated risk factors.This prospective study included 416 patients from a university hospital in each of the five Nordic countries. Data included demographic information, spirometry, comorbidity and 12 month followup for 406 patients. The hospital anxiety and depression scale and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were applied to all patients.The number of patients that had a re-admission within 12 months was 246 (60.6%). Patients that had a re-admission had lower lung function and health status. A low forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and health status were independent predictors for re-admission. Hazard ratio (HR; 95% CI) was 0.82 (0.74-0.90) per 10% increase of the predicted FEV1 and 1.06 (1.02-1.10) per 4 units increase in total SGRQ score. The risk of rehospitalisation was also increased in subjects with anxiety (HR 1.76 (1.16-2.68)) and in subjects with low health status (total SGRQ score .60 units). When comparing the different subscales in the SGRQ, the closest relation between the risk of rehospitalisation was seen with the activity scale (HR 1.07 (1.03-1.11) per 4 unit increase).In patients with low health status, anxiety is an important risk factor for rehospitalisation. This may be important for patient treatment and warrants further studies. KEYWORDS: Anxiety, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, health status, rehospitalisation, risk factors C hronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with intermittent exacerbations characterised by acute deterioration in the symptoms of chronic dyspnoea, cough and sputum production. Hospitalisations because of acute exacerbations are an important part of the care of patients with COPD. Multiple studies have been conducted in order to identify risk factors for COPD hospitalisations and there is also an increasing interest in modifying the risk factors in order to reduce the rate of rehospitalisation [5]. Risk factors that have been identified in previous studies are as follows: 1) low lung function [4,6,7]; 2) increasing age [7]; 3) poor quality of life [1,8,9]; 4) low physical function [4,8]; 5) history of frequent past exacerbations [1]; 6) history of previous admissions [4,6]; 7) under prescription of long-term oxygen therapy [6]; 8) hypercapnoea; and 9) pulmonary hypertension [10]. Interventions that decrease the risk of hospitalisations in COPD patients include vaccinations for influenza [11], smoking cessation [12] and pulmonary rehabilitation [13]. A study by DAHLÉ N and JANSON [14] found that anxiety and depression were related to a higher risk of relapse in patients with asthma and COPD that were admitted for emergency treatment. There is, however, limited data available regarding the level of anxiety and depression and the risk for hospital re-admission for COPD. There is also a lack of data on re-admission rates of COPD from Northern Europe and many previous s...

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often report anxiety, depression and poor health status, not least if they experience repeated hospitalisations due to acute exacerbations. The aim of this study was to analyse the interrelationships between health status, anxiety, depression and physical status in COPD patients being discharged after hospitalisation. This was a prospective study of 416 patients in five university hospitals in each of the Nordic countries. Data included demographic information, lung function and co-morbidity. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were applied to all patients. Both anxiety and depression were common among these patients. Anxiety was more common in women than in men (47% vs. 34%, P=0.009) and current smokers had a higher prevalence of both anxiety (54% vs. 37%) and depression (43% vs. 23%) than non-smokers (P<0.01). In general, the studied COPD patients had poor health status, especially those with anxiety, depression or both. Psychological status was independently related to all dimensions of SGRQ. Higher GOLD stages were significantly associated with increasing impairment in health status. In conclusion this multicentre study showed that anxiety and depression are common in patients with COPD, and, furthermore, that patients with psychological disorders have poor health status. Screening for depression and anxiety may help to identify patients with poor quality of life and an urgent need for intervention in order to improve their health status.

Mortality was high after COPD admission, with older age, decreased lung function, lower health status and diabetes the most important risk factors. Treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators may be associated with lower mortality in patients with COPD.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often have difficulties with keeping their weight. The aim of this investigation was to study nutritional status in hospitalised Nordic COPD patients and to investigate the association between nutritional status and long-term mortality in this patient group. In a multicentre study conducted at four university hospitals (Reykjavik, Uppsala, Tampere and Copenhagen) hospitalised patients with COPD were investigated. Patient height, weight and lung function was recorded. Health status was assessed with St. George's Hospital Respiratory Questionnaire. After 2 years, mortality data was obtained from the national registers in each country. Of the 261 patients in the study 19% where underweight (BMI <20), 41% were of normal weight (BMI 20-25), 26% were overweight (BMI 25-30) and 14% were obese. FEV(1) was lowest in the underweight and highest in the overweight group (p=0.001) whereas the prevalence of diabetes and cardio-vascular co-morbidity went the opposite direction. Of the 261 patients 49 (19%) had died within 2 years. The lowest mortality was found among the overweight patients, whereas underweight was related to increased overall mortality. The association between underweight in COPD-patients, and mortality remained significant after adjusting for possible confounders such as FEV(1) (hazard risk ratio (95% CI) 2.6 (1.3-5.2)). We conclude that COPD patients that are underweight at admission to hospital have a higher risk of dying within the next 2 years. Further studies are needed in order to show whether identifying and treating weight loss and depletion of fat-free mass (FFM) is a way forward in improving the prognosis for hospitalised COPD patients.

Loss of body weight, as a result of imbalance between increased energy demand and/or reduced dietary intake, is a common problem in patients with COPD. The aim of this investigation was to examine the relationship between nutritional intake, change in body weight and the risk of exacerbation in patients with COPD. The study comprised 41 patients who were hospitalised because of an exacerbation of COPD. The follow-up period was 12 months. Weight, height and lung function were measured at baseline. At the 12-month follow-up, weight change and current weight were assessed by an interview and nutritional intake was recorded in a food diary for 7 days. An acute exacerbation was defined as having been admitted to hospital and/or making an emergency visit to hospital, due to COPD during the follow-up period. At baseline, 24% of the patients were underweight (body mass index (BMI)<20 kg/m2), 46% were of normal weight (BMI 20-25 kg/m2) and 29% were overweight (BMI>25 kg/m2). Energy intake was lower than the calculated energy demand for all groups. During the follow-up period, 24 of the 41 patients had an exacerbation. A low BMI at inclusion and weight loss during the follow-up period were independent risk factors for having an exacerbation (P=0.003 and 0.006, respectively). We conclude that, in patients who are hospitalised because of COPD, underweight and weight loss during the follow-up period are related to a higher risk of having new exacerbations.