Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):22580.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-07197-x.

Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of respiratory related hospitalizations in older patients with COPD, asthma, and bronchiectasis

Hyunwoo Chae  1 , Kwanghee Jun  2 , Ju-Yeun Lee  3   4
Affiliations

Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of respiratory related hospitalizations in older patients with COPD, asthma, and bronchiectasis

Hyunwoo Chae et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases among older adults significantly affects morbidity and mortality rates. Hospitalizations from exacerbations and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) pose a substantial burden on healthcare systems. This study aimed to estimate the nationwide incidence of such hospitalizations among older adults with chronic respiratory diseases, identify risk factors, and assess outcomes like intensive care needs and mortality. Utilizing data from the National Health Insurance Service senior cohort (2016-2017), we analyzed patients aged 60 and above diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or bronchiectasis. We followed hospitalization rates over two years, employing Cox regression models to identify predictors for hospitalizations. Out of 117,793 patients, 16,024 (13.6%) patients had overlapping respiratory diseases with COPD, asthma and/or bronchiectasis. Of the total population, 9.6% were hospitalized due to exacerbations or ARIs, showing an incidence rate of 10.6 per 100 patient-years. Notably, patients with multiple respiratory diseases had hospitalization rates over 20%. Of the 24,186 hospitalizations, 6.5% necessitated intensive care, and 2.2% were fatal. Increased risk of hospitalization was associated with being 85 or older, having multiple respiratory conditions, and taking certain medications such as antipsychotics and anti-dementia drugs. This study reveals a notable rate of hospitalization due to exacerbations or ARIs among older adults with chronic respiratory diseases, with age, multiple conditions, and specific medications being major risk factors. The findings underscore the need for targeted preventive strategies and careful management of this vulnerable population.

Keywords: Acute respiratory infections; Asthma; Bronchiectasis; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Hospitalization; Older adult.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. This human study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Seoul National University-approval: IRB number E2303/004 001. The requirement for informed consent to participate was waived by the Seoul National University Institutional Review Board due to the retrospective nature of the study. Adult participant consent was not required because of the retrospective cohort design, which utilized de-identified claims data. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Proportions of COPD, bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis, and overlap diseases of the study population. COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; BA, bronchial asthma; BE, bronchiectasis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Chen, X. et al. Global, regional, and National burden of chronic respiratory diseases and associated risk factors, 1990–2019: results from the global burden of disease study 2019. Front. Med.10, 1066804. 10.3389/fmed.2023.1066804 (2023). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Athanazio, R. Airway disease: similarities and differences between asthma, COPD and bronchiectasis. Clin. (Sao Paulo). 67, 1335–1343. 10.6061/clinics/2012(11)19 (2012). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Soriano, J. B. et al. Mortality prediction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease comparing the GOLD 2007 and 2011 staging systems: a pooled analysis of individual patient data. Lancet Respir. Med.3, 443–450 (2015). - PubMed
    1. May, S. M. & Li, J. T. In Allergy and Asthma Proceedings. 4.
    1. de Marco, R. et al. The coexistence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): prevalence and risk factors in young, middle-aged and elderly people from the general population. PLoS One. 8, e62985. 10.1371/journal.pone.0062985 (2013). - PMC - PubMed