Purpose: The study aimed to give a comprehensive overview of characteristics and evaluate in-hospital clinical outcomes among hospitalized acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) patients in China using data from the AECOPD inpatient registry (ACURE).
Patients and Methods: The ACURE is an ongoing, national, multicenter, observational registry. Participants enrolled during phase I stage (1^st September 2017 to 25^th February 2020) of ACURE with confirmed AECOPD diagnoses were studied. Descriptive analyses were conducted to describe features and occurrences of in-hospital clinical outcomes of AECOPD inpatients in real-world China.
Results: A total of 5334 AECOPD inpatients from 163 sites in 28 provinces or province-level municipalities were included. Among all participants, 78.8% were males and the median age was 69.0 [interquartile range (IQR): 63.0– 76.0] years. The proportions of current and former smokers were 23.6% and 44.2%, respectively. The median age at COPD diagnosis was 64.0 (IQR: 57.0– 71.0) years and 88.7% participants demonstrated at least one comorbidity. During stable period, only 56.9% subjects received pharmacological therapies and the influenza vaccination rate was 2.9%. During hospitalization, 99.5% subjects received pharmacological treatments and antibiotics were prescribed to 90.9% participants. The all-cause in-hospital mortality was 0.1% and no significant difference was found across hospital categories.
Conclusion: Clinical features of Chinese AECOPD inpatients were different from those of other populations. In real-world China, the clinical management during stable period was unsatisfied, whereas therapy during hospitalization was effective regarding in-hospital clinical outcomes regardless of hospital category.
Keywords: registries, demography, therapeutics, disease management, hospital mortality, public health