Hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the population aged 55 years or over in Finland during 1972-1992

Hospital admissions for patients with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) as the primary diagnosis for the total Finnish population aged 55 years or over were collected from discharge register from 1972 to 1992. Numbers of admissions and days in hospital by sex and age in relation to total population and the duration of stay in hospital were analysed. A total of 188,570 admissions related to COPD were recorded. There was an average of 17.0 admissions per 1,000 persons per year for men and 2.1 for women. The annual increase in the number of such periods, relative to population, was +1.5% for men (95% confidence interval +0.8 to +2.1%) and +5.1% (+4.0 to +6.2%) for women. A steady upward trend was found in all age groups among women and in the age group 65 years or over among men. The mean number of hospitalisation days increased among women but tended to decrease from the late 1980's onwards among men. The average length of stay decreased from 16.4 days (median: 11 days) in 1972 to 9.6 days (median: 7 days) in 1992. An increase in the need of hospital services was consistent feature among women and older men. Preceding smoking prevalence in Finland, ageing of the population and some institutional factors are the probable aspects behind this trend.