Quality of life of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with different risk of exacerbations

Aim. To study the quality of life (QoL) in patients with COPD depending on the exacerbation risk category and the phase of the disease in correlation with respiratory symptoms.

Materials and methods. The study involved 53 patients with COPD who were divided into two groups. The group 1 included the patients of the low risk category of exacerbations (n=22), the group 2 had the patients in the high risk category (n=31). The frequency of exacerbations per year, the severity of respiratory symptoms, QoL using the CAT test and the mMRC scale were included in this analysis.

Results. The level of QoL (according to the CAT test) in group 1 during exacerbation is significantly worse by 16.5% (p<0.05) than with stable COPD. In group 2, QoL was significantly lower than in group 1 at both points of the study (p <0.001). In most patients of group 1, the severity of dyspnea by mMRC was <2 points, in group 2 it was ≥ 2 points. Moreover, in group 1, the indicator was significantly lower than in group 2 (p<0.001). In patients of both groups during exacerbation, positive associations were found between the CAT test, severity of cough (r=0.31; p<0.05) and sputum (r=0.31; p<0.05). It was revealed that the risk of frequent symptoms with stable COPD in group 2 was significantly higher than in group I (RR=0.33; 95% CI [0.18-0.61]) and it increased in the period of exacerbation by 19% (RR=0.52; 95% CI [0.34-0.79]).

Conclusion. Based on the data obtained, it was found out that QoL in patients with COPD is associated with a risk category of exacerbations and a phase of the disease. Regardless of the risk category, QoL, according to the CAT test, is associated with the severity of respiratory symptoms. The risk of frequent symptoms is increased in patients with COPD of the high risk category both during exacerbation and during the stable course of the disease, and is significantly higher than in patients of the low risk category.

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