Abstract

AGUILAR ESTRADA, Ma. Guadalupe  and  GARCIA GUILLEN, Ma. de Lourdes. Quality of life differences of hospitalized stable COPD and asthma patients. Rev. Inst. Nal. Enf. Resp. Mex. [online]. 2006, vol.19, n.4, pp.272-275. ISSN 0187-7585.

Introduction: COPD and asthma are diseases frequently seen at the Airway Disease Clinical Service of The National Institute of Respiratory Diseases Ismael Cosío Villegas.; both severely affect the quality of life (QOL). Objective: To determine if there are differences in the QOL of hospitalized stable COPD and asthma patients. Material and methods: Prospective and transverse study of 51 patients, 25 with asthma (GINA) and 26 with COPD (GOLD); the chronic respiratory questionnaire (CRQ) and the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were applied to both groups once they were in a stable condition. Statistics: Descriptive; Student's t and Mann-Whitney's U tests. Results: Patients with asthma (VEF₁ 41%, VEF₁/FVC 74%), 53 years old, 24% men, 76% women. Patients with COPD (FEV₁ 43%, FEV₁/FVC 58%), 56 years, 43% men, 57% women, tobacco index 47 packs/year, wood smoke index 233 h/year. According to the SGRQ, COPD stable hospitalized patients have a higher score than stable hospitalized asthmatics, (median 60 vs 45 respectively, p = 0.020) as well as limitations of activity due to dyspnea (74 and 53 respectively, p = 0.010). Conclusions: Hospitalized stable COPD patients have a worst QOL and their daily activities are more limited by dyspnea than in asthmatics. There were no significant differences in the frequency and severity of respiratory symptoms

Keywords : Asthma; COPD; quality of life.

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