Obesity Prevalence and Association with Spirometry Profiles, ICU Admission, and Comorbidities Among Patients with COPD: Retrospective Study in Two Tertiary Centres in Saudi Arabia

Abdullah A Alqarni; Omaima I Badr; Abdulelah M Aldhahir; Jaber S Alqahtani; Rayan A Siraj; Abdallah Y Naser; Abdulrhman S Alghamdi; Mansour Majrshi; Saeed M Alghamdi; Mohammed M Alyami; Sara A Alghamdi; Hassan Alwafi

doi:10.2147/COPD.S442851

Obesity Prevalence and Association with Spirometry Profiles, ICU Admission, and Comorbidities Among Patients with COPD: Retrospective Study in Two Tertiary Centres in Saudi Arabia

Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2024 Jan 16:19:111-120. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S442851. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Abdullah A Alqarni^{1

2}, Omaima I Badr^{3

4}, Abdulelah M Aldhahir⁵, Jaber S Alqahtani⁶, Rayan A Siraj⁷, Abdallah Y Naser⁸, Abdulrhman S Alghamdi⁹, Mansour Majrshi^{10

11}, Saeed M Alghamdi¹², Mohammed M Alyami¹³, Sara A Alghamdi¹⁴, Hassan Alwafi¹⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory Therapy, Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
² Respiratory Therapy Unit, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Chest Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Al Noor Specialist Hospital, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Respiratory Therapy Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Respiratory Care, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman, Jordan.
⁹ Department of Rehabilitation Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
¹¹ Respiratory Medicine, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.
¹² Clinical Technology Department, Respiratory Care Program, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
¹³ Respiratory Therapy Department, Batterjee Medical College, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁴ Respiratory Care Department, AlSalama Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁵ Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: Obesity is common among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and is associated with an increase in acute exacerbation episodes. However, data on obesity's impact on and association with clinical outcomes among patients with COPD are limited. This study aimed to determine overweight and obesity prevalence and associations with spirometry profiles, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and comorbidities in patients with COPD.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed the electronic health records of adult individuals diagnosed with COPD who visited the studied pulmonary clinics between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2022 and then collected key demographic variables and relevant clinical outcomes and comorbidities.

Results: A total of 474 patients with COPD were included in the final analysis, of whom 60% were male. The occurrences of overweight and obesity were 32.7% and 38.2%, respectively. The presence of comorbidities was high in obese patients (78.4%), followed by overweight patients (63.8%) with COPD. Obese and overweight patients had the highest ward admission rates (38.3% and 34.2%, respectively). ICU admissions were higher in obese and overweight patients (16% and 12%, respectively) compared with normal-weight patients (9%). Although no significant correlation was found between body mass index and spirometry parameters, comorbidities and ICU admission were linked to overweight and obesity in COPD patients (AOR: 1.82 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.86 and AOR: 3.34 95% CI 1.35 to 8.22, respectively).

Conclusion: Our findings imply that obesity in COPD is prevalent and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes including a greater number of comorbidities and higher rates of hospitalization and admission to ICUs although no associations were found between body weight and spirometry parameters. Further studies are needed to assess whether implementing and optimising obesity screening and management at an early stage in COPD can prevent further deterioration.

Keywords: COPD; ICU admission; comorbidities; obesity; spirometry parameters.

MeSH terms

Adult
Female
Hospitalization
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Male
Obesity* / diagnosis
Obesity* / epidemiology
Overweight
Prevalence
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* / diagnosis
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* / epidemiology
Retrospective Studies
Saudi Arabia / epidemiology
Spirometry