• Mei Zhang, Yun-feng Zhao, Yi-min Luo, Xi-hua Wang, Yuan Yang, and Yong Lin.
• Respiratory Department, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
• Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi. 2013 Apr 1;36(4):269-73.

ObjectiveTo investigate the value of coexisting pneumonia and British Thoracic Society CURB-65 score in predicting early mortality in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).MethodsIn this prospective study, 483 consecutive in-patients with AECOPD were recruited between January 2010 and September 2012, including 295 males and 188 females. The patients were aged 45 to 92 years. They were divided into 2 groups: non-pneumonia (npAECOPD) and with pneumonia (pAECOPD). The start point of this study was the date when the patients were admitted into the respiratory ward, and the endpoint was the 30 day mortality. Clinical and demographic data were collected for all the patients, and the value of coexisting pneumonia and CURB-65 in predicting in-hospital mortality and 30 day mortality were assessed and compared.ResultsAccording to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, eventually 457 patients were included in this research, with 278 males and 179 females, and an average age of (75 ± 9) years. Of the 457 patients, 120 (26.3%) patients were in the pAECOPD group and 337 (73.7%) patients in the npAECOPD group. The in-hospital mortality, the 30 day mortality and the assisted ventilation rate were significantly higher in the pAECOPD group as compared to the npAECOPD group 18.3% (22/120) vs 4.7% (16/337), 21.7% (26/120) vs 7.4% (25/337); 49.2% (59/120) vs 27.0% (91/337), χ(2) = 18.1 - 21.4, all P < 0.05, respectively. Furthermore, the in-hospital mortality of the pAECOPD patients with CURB-65 score < 2, = 2 and > 2 was 4.4% (2/45), 15.2% (7/46) and 44.8% (13/29), respectively, while that of the npAECOPD patients was 0.9% (1/113), 3.4% (4/119) and 10.5% (11/105), respectively. The 30 day mortality of the pAECOPD patients with CURB-65 score < 2, = 2 and > 2 was 4.4% (2/45), 19.6% (9/46) and 51.7% (15/29), respectively, while that of the npAECOPD patients was 0.9% (1/113), 5.0% (6/119) and 17.1% (18/105), respectively. Stratified by CURB-65 Score, the in-hospital and 30 day mortality were both significantly higher in the pAECOPD group than in the npAECOPD group when CURB-65 was ≥ 2 (χ(2) = 5.8 - 10.1, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). The AUROC analysis of CURB-65 as a predictor for early mortality resulted in an area under curve of 0.744.ConclusionsIn patients with AECOPD, coexisting pneumonia is not only a risk factor for in-hospital mortality, but also a predictor for the treatment of assisted ventilation. CURB-65 score may be a good predictor for early mortality in patients with AECOPD.

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