Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Hospitalizations

Chronic Diseases

Diseases of the respiratory system, including chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), were the fourth leading cause of hospitalizations in Simcoe Muskoka for the eight year period between 2003 and 2010. COPD accounted for 35 per cent of all respiratory system disease related hospitalizations during the same time period.

The age-standardized hospitalization rate for COPD in Simcoe Muskoka for all ages and sexes in 2009 was 163.7 (154.3, 173.1) per 100,000 population, which was significantly higher than the Ontario rate of 133.0 (131.3, 134.8) per 100,000 population. The standardized morbidity ratio (SMR) for COPD hospitalizations in Simcoe Muskoka compared with Ontario was 1.23 (1.16, 1.30), which means that there was an 23 per cent greater COPD hospitalization experience in Simcoe Muskoka relative to Ontario in 2010.

Figure one shows the trend in COPD hospitalizations rates for Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario over the eight year period between 2003 and 2010. The rates in both Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario have been decreasing since 2005; however, the decrease in the rates in Simcoe Muskoka has been steeper compared with Ontario. Since 2005, the COPD hospitalization rates in Simcoe Muskoka have decreased by an average of seven per cent (-10%,-5%) per year compared with an average annual decrease of four per cent (-6%,-2%) per year for Ontario.

Figure One

By Sex

In 2010, the age-standardized COPD hospitalization rate among Simcoe Muskoka males was 181.1 (166.4, 195.9) per 100,000, which was not significantly higher than the female rate of 153.2 (140.8, 165.6) per 100,000. The COPD hospitalization for Ontario in 2010 was significantly lower than the Simcoe Muskoka rate for both males and females.

Figure two shows the trend in COPD hospitalization rates for males and females in Simcoe Muskoka over the eight year period between 2003 and 2010. COPD related hospitalizations among males and females in Simcoe Muskoka have declined significantly between 2005 and 2010. The COPD hospitalization rate among Simcoe Muskoka males has been consistently above that of females over the past eight years, but the gap has narrowed over the past four years.

Figure Two

By Age Group

Hospitalizations for COPD increases with age (see figure three). The age-specific rate for COPD hospitalizations between 2003 and 2010 (combined) in Simcoe Muskoka was highest among those 75 years and older at 1,992.4 (1,938.3, 2,046.4) hospital discharges per 100,000 population. This was more than double the rate for those between 65 and 74 years of age and more than 10 times higher than the rate for adults between 45 and 64 years of age.

Figure Three