Urban–rural differences in pneumonia risk in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a nationwide register-based study

Compared to patients in capital municipalities, patients with a hospital-registered COPD diagnosis in non-capital municipalities had a higher risk of annually redeeming at least one prescription for antibiotics typically used for outpatient pneumonia. We were unable to detect differences in pneumonia hospitalization between municipality types. Our study was not designed to assess causality, and we stress the need for future research to provide actionable insights for health policy makers.