Patients may require hospital inpatient care for severe acute exacerbations of COPD. Episodes that are life threatening sometimes require temporary assistance with breathing.
Acute exacerbations of COPD are frequently due to bacterial or viral respiratory tract infections. They have also been associated with increases in exposure to air pollution and changes in ambient temperature.
In 2009–10 there were 54,244 hospital separations of people 55 years and over where COPD was the principal diagnosis.
The hospital separation rate for males 55 years and over declined 20% in the last decade from 1,545 per 100,000 population in 1998–99 to 1,236 in 2009–10.
The female rate, while varying a little over the same period, was slightly higher in 2009–10 (870 per 100,000 population) than it was in 1998–99 (835 per 100,000 population).
The decreasing rate of COPD hospital separations among males is contrary to a general trend of increasing hospital separation rates for all conditions for both sexes.
There is a strong seasonal driver of COPD exacerbations. Admissions to hospital for COPD are highest in winter and early spring. This matches and is related to the trend for acute respiratory infections (e.g. rhinovirus (common cold), influenza, pneumonia and acute bronchitis).
Source tables
Table 1: Hospital separations per 100,000 population for Australians with COPD aged 55+ years, 1998–99 to 2009–10
|
Males |
Females |
| 1998–99 |
1,544.8 |
835.0 |
| 1999-00 |
1,557.6 |
852.8 |
| 2000–01 |
1,566.5 |
889.7 |
| 2001–02 |
1,528.8 |
884.7 |
| 2002–03 |
1,547.1 |
911.5 |
| 2003–04 |
1,509.8 |
916.1 |
| 2004–05 |
1,439.1 |
867.3 |
| 2005–06 |
1,381.2 |
871.2 |
| 2006–07 |
1,302.8 |
833.2 |
| 2007–08 |
1,355.1 |
883.8 |
| 2008–09 |
1,316.7 |
919.3 |
| 2009–10 |
1,236.1 |
869.8 |
Notes
1. Age standardised to the Australian population as at 30 June 2001.
2. COPD classified according to International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) codes J40 to J44.
3. Separations for which the care type was reported as Newborn with no qualified days, and records for Hospital boarders and Posthumous organ procurement have been excluded.
4. COPD occurs mostly in people aged 55 years and over. While it is occasionally reported in younger age groups, in those aged 55 years and over there is more certainty that the condition is COPD and not another respiratory condition. For this reason only people aged 55 years and over are included in this graph.
Source: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database.
Table 2: Hospital admissions per 100,000 population for Australians with an acute respiratory infection (ARI) or COPD, aged 55+ years, 2005 to 2009 by month
| Month |
2005 |
|
2006 |
|
2007 |
|
2008 |
|
2009 |
| ARI |
COPD |
ARI |
COPD |
ARI |
COPD |
ARI |
COPD |
ARI |
COPD |
| Jan |
7,254 |
3,585 |
|
7,643 |
3,540 |
|
7,069 |
3,587 |
|
7,980 |
3,876 |
|
8,248 |
4,134 |
| Feb |
6,602 |
2,961 |
|
7,456 |
3,004 |
|
6,528 |
2,869 |
|
7,723 |
3,281 |
|
7,847 |
3,256 |
| Mar |
7,949 |
3,557 |
|
8,803 |
3,541 |
|
8,410 |
3,510 |
|
9,730 |
3,964 |
|
9,451 |
3,790 |
| Apr |
8,318 |
3,612 |
|
9,303 |
3,660 |
|
8,837 |
3,865 |
|
10,182 |
4,240 |
|
10,075 |
4,169 |
| May |
10,204 |
4,209 |
|
10,080 |
4,272 |
|
10,394 |
4,324 |
|
11,783 |
5,040 |
|
11,835 |
4,840 |
| Jun |
12,951 |
5,238 |
|
12,961 |
5,125 |
|
12,759 |
5,273 |
|
14,129 |
5,497 |
|
15,449 |
5,773 |
| Jul |
16,595 |
6,801 |
|
15,801 |
6,046 |
|
18,560 |
7,818 |
|
15,956 |
6,761 |
|
19,846 |
7,272 |
| Aug |
16,063 |
6,602 |
|
16,356 |
6,639 |
|
20,492 |
8,090 |
|
18,254 |
8,018 |
|
16,479 |
6,216 |
| Sep |
13,198 |
5,814 |
|
13,415 |
5,957 |
|
15,041 |
6,351 |
|
16,633 |
7,770 |
|
13,854 |
5,822 |
| Oct |
10,806 |
5,028 |
|
10,327 |
4,912 |
|
11,861 |
5,697 |
|
12,568 |
6,013 |
|
12,896 |
6,152 |
| Nov |
9,510 |
4,085 |
|
8,894 |
4,115 |
|
9,643 |
4,497 |
|
10,543 |
5,012 |
|
10,496 |
4,730 |
| Dec |
9,408 |
4,275 |
|
8,319 |
3,944 |
|
9,130 |
4,367 |
|
10,133 |
5,003 |
|
10,003 |
4,799 |
Notes
1. COPD classified according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) codes J40 to J44, National Centre for Classification of Health.
2. Acute respiratory infections classified according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) codes J00–J22 (e.g. rhinovirus (common cold), influenza, pneumonia and acute bronchitis).
3. Separations for which the care type was reported as Newborn with no qualified days, and records for Hospital boarders and Posthumous organ procurement have been excluded.
4. COPD occurs mostly in people aged 55 years and over. While it is occasionally reported in younger age groups, in those aged 55 years and over there is more certainty that the condition is COPD and not another respiratory condition. For this reason only people aged 55 years and over are included in this graph.
Source: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database.