Influence of Pneumonia on the Survival of Patients with COPD

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is a frequent infection. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can present with comorbidities, including pneumonia. It is known that COPD worsens the evolution of pneumonia, but few studies describe the impact of pneumonia on COPD evolution. This study analyzes the influence of pneumonia on the survival of COPD patients. METHODS: Observational study of a cohort of 273 patients with COPD who attended spirometry in 2011, with a prospective follow-up of six years. Patients were divided into two groups according to their acquisition of pneumonia during follow-up. The difference in survival between the two groups was analyzed. Pneumonia (Hazard Ratio -HR- 2.65; 95% Confidence Interval -CI- 1.57-4.48), advanced age (HR 1.08; 95% CI 1.03-1.09), and high Charlson index (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.17-1.47) were identified as risk factors independently associated with mortality, while a high body mass index (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87-0.96) was identified as a protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: Pneumonia is associated with worse prognosis in COPD patients. It is important to take into account this comorbidity for a comprehensive care of these patients.