The influence of heart disease on characteristics, quality of life, use of health resources, and costs of COPD in primary care settings

BACKGROUND To evaluate the influence of heart disease on clinical characteristics, quality of life, use of health resources, and costs of patients with COPD followed at primary care settings under common clinical practice conditions. METHODS Epidemiologic, observational, and descriptive study (EPIDEPOC study). Patients > or = 40 years of age with stable COPD attending primary care settings were included. Demographic, clinical characteristics, quality of life (SF-12), seriousness of the disease, and treatment data were collected. Results were compared between patients with or without associated heart disease. RESULTS A total of 9,390 patients with COPD were examined of whom 1,770 (18.8%) had heart disease and 78% were males. When comparing both patient groups, significant differences were found in the socio-demographic characteristics, health profile, comorbidities, and severity of the airway obstruction, which was greater in patients with heart disease. Differences were also found in both components of quality of life, physical and mental, with lower scores among those patients with heart disease. Higher frequency of primary care and pneumologist visits, emergency-room visits and number of hospital admissions were observed among patients with heart diseases. The annual total cost per patient was significantly higher in patients with heart disease; 2,937 +/- 2,957 vs. 1,749 +/- 2,120, p < 0.05. Variables that were showed to be independently associated to COPD in subjects with hearth conditions were age, being inactive, ex-smokers, moderate physical exercise, body mass index, concomitant blood hypertension, diabetes, anxiety, the SF-12 physical and mental components and per patient per year total cost. CONCLUSION Patients with COPD plus heart disease had greater disease severity and worse quality of life, used more healthcare resources and were associated with greater costs compared to COPD patients without known hearth disease.