# Time to Death and Its Predictor Among Outpatients With COPD: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Northwestern Ethiopia

## TL;DR

This study in Ethiopia found that factors like age, sex, and comorbidities predict time to death in COPD outpatients.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific risk factors for mortality in COPD patients in a northwestern Ethiopian context.

## Key findings

- 82 out of 248 COPD patients died during the study period.
- Age, sex, and comorbidities were significant predictors of time to death.
- Urban residence and smoking were also associated with mortality risk.

## Abstract

Globally, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the main causes of illness and death. Understanding the problem with respect to these factors is essential to finding a solution. Therefore, this study aimed to determine time to death and its predictors among outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease followed up in northwestern Ethiopia.

A retrospective cohort study design was applied to collect relevant information on time to death from the medical patient's charts of 248 outpatients with COPD under follow‐up at the UGRH. The information was explored using log‐rank tests and Kaplan‒Meier plots. We used the Cox PH model for the time to death of outpatients with COPD.

Out of 248 COPD patients treated at UoG from January 1, 2020 to December 30, 2022, 82 (33.1%) patients died. The study population consisted of 248 patients who received COPD drug treatment during follow‐up, of whom 148 (59.7%) were male, and 145 (58.5%) resided in urban areas.

The Cox proportional hazards (PH) model identified sex, occupation, comorbidities, age, HIV status, weight, marital status, and smoking as risk factors for time to death.