Abstract
Aim: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often associated with other chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and prevalence of chronic comorbidities in patients with COPD and to assess their influence on the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR).
Method: 183 patients were included multidisciplinary comprehensive PR program between July 2007 and September 2010 in our outpatient PR center. All patients were grouped according to the following comorbidity categories: 0 (absence of comorbidity), 1 and >=2 (depending on the number of comorbidity). Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT) and Endurance Shuttle Walking Test (ESWT) was used to evaluate exercise capacity, Medical Research Council (MRC) for the perception of dyspnea, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) for quality of life, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for psychological evaluation and BMI, fat-free mass (FFM), fat-free mass index (FFMI) analyzing for body composition.
Results: 131 patients reported at least one chronic comorbidity added to COPD. Metabolic (systemic hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia) and heart diseases (chronic heart failure, coronary heart disease) were the most frequently reported comorbid combinations (88 and 23, respectively).Statistically significant improvement was determined in ISWT and ESWT (p<0.01); statistically significant decrease was determined in MRC, SGRQ and HADS (p<0.001) for each comorbid categories.
Conclusion: Chronic comorbidities are very frequent in patients with COPD undergoing PR. Comorbidities does not preclude access to effectiveness of rehabilitation.
- © 2011 ERS
