TY - JOUR T1 - Quantifying comorbidity in individuals with COPD: a population study JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 51 LP - 59 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00061414 VL - 45 IS - 1 AU - Andrea S. Gershon AU - Graham C. Mecredy AU - Jun Guan AU - J. Charles Victor AU - Roger Goldstein AU - Teresa To Y1 - 2015/01/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/45/1/51.abstract N2 - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been associated with many types of comorbidity. We aimed to quantify the real world impact of COPD on lower respiratory tract infection, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, psychiatric disease, musculoskeletal disease and cancer, and their impact on COPD through health services. A population study using health administrative data from Ontario, Canada, in 2008–2012 was conducted. Absolute and adjusted relative rates of ambulatory care visits, emergency department visits and hospitalisations for the comorbidities of interest in people with and without COPD were determined and compared. Among 7 241 591 adults, 909 948 (12.6%) had COPD. Over half of all lung cancer, a third of all lower respiratory tract infection and cardiovascular disease, a quarter of all low trauma fracture, and a fifth of all psychiatric, musculoskeletal, non-lung cancer and diabetes ambulatory care visits, emergency department visits and hospitalisations in Ontario were used by people with COPD. Individuals with COPD used about five times more health services for lung cancer, and two times more health services for lower respiratory tract infections and cardiovascular disease than people without COPD. Individuals with COPD use a disproportionate amount of health services for comorbid disease, placing significant burden on the healthcare system. COPD responsible for significant proportion of all hospitalisations, emergency department visits and ambulatory care http://ow.ly/xVZMZ ER -