Changes in hospital admissions of COPD patients in Poland in 2006-2019 - epidemiological analysis of data from the nationwide public registry

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common respiratory diseases. The study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of COPD patients hospitalized in Poland in 2006-2019, along with identifying the variability of hospitalization over time. Data were obtained from the hospital morbidity register managed by the National Institute of Public Health, Poland. The analysis included all patients aged 40 and over, hospitalized in Poland between 2006 and 2019, and diagnosed with COPD (code J44 according to ICD-10). In the years 2006-2019, a total of 1,663,420 hospitalizations of patients diagnosed with COPD were recorded. The annual number of hospitalizations ranged from 136,500 in 2009 to 99,061 in 2019. The greatest decrease in the number of hospitalizations concerns the group of the youngest women and men with COPD. Between 2006 and 2019, among hospitalized patients with COPD, the percentage of women increased from 32% to 36.9%. In 2006, planned COPD admissions accounted for only 5.6% of all hospitalizations, in 2019 their share increased to 43.2%. In the years 2006-2019, the percentage of urban residents among hospitalized patients with COPD increased from 50.7% to 59.1%. In-hospital mortality increased from 5.3% in 2006 to 6.7% in 2019, including from 5.6% to 6.7% in men and from 4.7% to 6.7% in women. There was an increase in the number of emergency hospitalizations that ended in the patient's death. The profile of a patient hospitalized with COPD in 2006-2019 has changed. Epidemiological data on hospitalizations due to COPD can be used to assess the quality of in-patient respiratory care.