Introduction: Comorbidities are frequent in COPD patients, and impact on clinical outcomes and quality of life. In addition, frailty in older patients is an important consideration. Characterising co-morbidities within primary care can help focus clinical care and mitigate complications.
Aims and objectives: To characterise comorbidity and frailty status in COPD patients within a single-practice primary-care cohort in the UK.
Methods: All registered patients with COPD were identified via ICD-10 codes. Extracted data included demographic and COPD parameters, comorbidities and frailty severity scores (as available) using the electronic Frailty Index (eFI).
Results: As of December 2022, records identified 374 COPD patients; 207 (55.3%) male, mean age 71.0 ± 10.6 years (range 30?99) with 74.1% aged ? 65 years. According to BMI (mean 31.0 ± 6.8 kg/m2; range 13.0?60.8), 35.6% of patients were obese (BMI ?30) and 51.9% scored ?3 on the MRC Breathlessness Scale. 341 COPD patients (91.2%) had ?1 comorbidity; including hypertension (57.2%), type 2 diabetes (18.7%), ischemic heart disease (14.4%) and heart failure (10.1%). Psychological co-morbidity? mainly anxiety and/or depressive disorder was recorded in a substantial number of patients (51.3%). Patients with comorbidity had generally more severe COPD (54.5% of patients with MRC ?3 vs 24.2% without comorbidity). Frailty was assessed in 68 patients (24.5% of all ?65 years). Mean eFi was 0.35 ± 0.12 (range 0.14?0.58); categorised as mild (n=14), moderate (n=21) and severe frailty (n=33).
Conclusions: High burden of Frailty & Comorbidities particularly CVD and psychological disorders are prevalent within COPD patients in routine clinical practice.