Table 5.
—COPD Severity Score and the Prospective Risk of Acute Exacerbations of COPD
| Emergency Health Care Use for COPD | Entire Cohort (N = 1,202) | GOLD Stage < II (n = 460) | GOLD Stage ≥ II (n = 742) |
| ED visit | 1.31 (1.24-1.39) | 1.33 (1.18-1.50) | 1.32 (1.26-1.41) |
| Hospitalization | 1.59 (1.44-1.75) | 1.42 (1.09-1.86)a | 1.60 (1.43-1.79) |
| Any hospital-based careb | 1.34 (1.26-1.41) | 1.30 (1.16-1.45) | 1.36 (1.27-1.45) |
Values expressed as hazard ratio (95% CI). P < .0001 unless otherwise indicated. Cox proportional hazards analysis controlling for age, sex, race, and educational attainment. Hazard ratio is per 0.5 SD increment in COPD Severity Score. See Table 1 for expansion of abbreviation.
a
P = .01.
b
ED visit or hospitalization for COPD.