COPD not associated with increased mortality in COVID patients

Abstract image of COVID-19 virus cell.

A new paper published in Cureus confirmed that COPD was not associated with increased 30-day mortality in patients infected with COVID-19. Investigators from Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong, the major medical unit where patients were admitted, completed the research.

The objective of the study, according to the researchers, was to evaluate the impact of COPD on COVID-19 prognosis and determine if patients with COPD who also had COVID-19 had a higher mortality rate than those without COPD.

The study group consisted of 2,761 COVID-19 patients admitted to the Princess Margaret Hospital between January 1 and June 30, 2022. Patients had been diagnosed with the Omicron variant of the disease, which had emerged in November of the previous year. Of those patients, 7.4% also had COPD.

The researchers wrote that, “COPD did not independently increase the risk of COVID-19 mortality.” Other factors — including older age, male sex, incomplete vaccinations and long-term oxygen use — were identified as significant predictors of 30-day mortality.

According to the study, while patients with COPD were more likely to require treatments like oxygen and non-invasive ventilation, there were “no significant differences in other secondary outcomes compared to non-COPD patients.”

“These findings underscore the importance of considering multiple factors when assessing the impact of COPD on COVID-19 prognosis, particularly with the Omicron variant,” the researchers added.

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