Comparison of the characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients who died in hospital or after discharge within 30 days of admission
| Characteristics | Died in hospital# | Died after discharge | p-value¶ |
| Subjects n | 750 | 125 | |
| Age yrs | |||
| 35–54 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| 55–64 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 0.2 |
| 65–74 | 18.0 | 18.3 | 0.9 |
| 75–84 | 42.0 | 35.4 | 0.1 |
| >85 | 37.7 | 41.7 | 0.3 |
| Males | 58.3 | 69.7 | 0.005ƒ |
| Lived in Rome | 54.5 | 46.3 | 0.05ƒ |
| Education yrs | |||
| >8 | 8.9 | 5.7 | 0.2 |
| 5–8 | 68.7 | 64.6 | 0.3 |
| <5 | 11.6 | 19.3 | 0.006ƒ |
| Admission ward | |||
| Appropriate+ | 15.5 | 20.6 | 0.1 |
| Acceptable§ | 73.5 | 69.7 | 0.3 |
| Not appropriate | 11.1 | 9.7 | 0.6 |
| Number of comorbidities | |||
| 0 | 51.1 | 48.6 | 0.6 |
| 1 | 10.2 | 14.9 | 0.2 |
| 2 | 18.9 | 23.4 | 0.2 |
| >3 | 10.8 | 13.4 | 0.4 |
| Hospitalisation in the past 2 yrs | |||
| 0 | 49.5 | 40.0 | 0.02ƒ |
| 1 | 23.6 | 24.6 | 0.8 |
| 2 | 26.9 | 35.4 | 0.03ƒ |
| Hospitalisation in the past 2 yrs with respiratory failure | |||
| 0 | 92.3 | 92.6 | 0.9 |
| 1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 1.0 |
| 2 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 0.80 |
Data are presented as %, unless otherwise stated. #: 62 patients who died in hospital and were not reported in the cause mortality register were not included; ¶: from a test of difference in proportions; +: pneumology and intensive care unit; §: general medicine, geriatrics, causality ward; ƒ: statistically significant.