Risk factors of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among Egyptian elderly patients. (A prospective study)

Abstract

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the persistent obstruction of airways (bronchiolitis) associated with progressive destruction of lung parenchyma (emphysema) and this is associated with medical history of chronic inflammation, related to exposure to many pathogens as cigarette smoking. Objective: This prospective study is designed to assess the risk factors of acute exacerbation among elderly patients with COPD. Patients and methods: The study sample consists of 60 Egyptian elderly COPD patients aged 60 years or more. It was calculated by using PASS version 11 program setting the type-1 error (α) at 0.05 and the power (1-β) at 0.8. Results from previous studies showed that the AUROC that predict frequency of exacerbation was 0.8, and with a drop rate of 20%, the needed sample is 60 cases of Egyptian elderly COPD patients. Results: Results of this study revealed that there is no relationship between serum vitamin D level and the risk of exacerbation among the Egyptian elderly COPD patients. Results also highlighted the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among COPD elderly patients. Conclusion: This study concluded that vitamin D deficiency is