The burden of severe exacerbations, their relationship to clinical outcomes and the use of health resources in the Russian population of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a subanalysis of the Russian population of EXACOS International Study

According to the literature, the risk of death in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increases with both frequency and severity of the disease exacerbations. However, the clinical burden and healthcare resource utilization associated with severe COPD exacerbations in the Russian population have not been adequately studied.
The aim of this study was to assess the clinical burden of severe COPD in Russia by examining the relationship between frequency of severe exacerbations, clinical outcomes, and healthcare utilization among the Russian patients.
Methods. The EXACOS International Study on Exacerbations and Outcomes was an observational, cross-sectional study that collected retrospective data from medical records over a five-year period. The study population included a broad range of COPD patients monitored by pulmonologists. The purpose of the study was to assess the frequency of severe exacerbations that were defined as hospitalizations (with or without admission to an intensive care unit) or emergency department visits due to worsening of COPD symptoms.
Results. A total of 326 patients with COPD were included (mean age: 64.8 years, 87.1% male). Most participants had moderate (137 (42.0%)) or severe COPD (135 (41.4%)), as well as comorbidities (275 (84.4%)). The most common comorbidities included hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes. During the study period, 120 (40.0%), 158 (48.5%), and 247 (75.8%) patients received courses of oral corticosteroids, injectable corticosteroids and antibiotics, respectively. 250 (76.7%) patients experienced at least one severe COPD exacerbation, with a total of 1,026 events; and 102 (31.3%) had more than 3 exacerbations. The annual number of exacerbations increased from 128 in 2019 to 294 in 2021 (p < 0.0001), and the proportion of patients with severe exacerbations also increased from 23.6% in 2009 to 54.7% in 2021.
Conclusion. The high clinical burden of severe COPD exacerbations among the Russian population indicates a significant need for further research into factors leading to these events, modification of these factors and optimization of therapy to prevent the exacerbations.

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