Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115077

Jane Chang, MPH, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, 2400 Pratt Street, Durham, NC 27705, Douglas Gause, MS DrPH, Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, One Health Plaza, East Hanover, NJ 07936, Jennifer Sung, PharmD, MS, USCDMA, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, One Health Plaza, E Hanover, NJ 07936, and Gregory P. Geba, MD, MPH, USCDMA, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., One Health Plaza, E Hanover, NJ 07936, 862-778-6222, gregory.geba@pharma.novartis.com.

PURPOSE: This study compared physical, work, and social limitations and perceived health status in patients with COPD or other chronic diseases using the 2001 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data. METHODS: Data from MEPS, a nationally representative sample of the US non-institutionalized, civilian population were analyzed. MEPS provided self-reported information on patient demographics, health conditions, perceived health status, and functional limitations. Four mutually exclusive groups of patients with COPD, asthma, diabetes, or hypertension were identified based on ICD-9 codes, indicating weighted sample size of 0.8, 4.6, 5.6 and 26.3 million patients respectively. Descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance adjusting for age, gender, race and the number of comorbid conditions were conducted. Results were weighted to reflect population estimates. RESULTS: COPD patients reported more physical limitations, (COPD 38%, asthma 24%, diabetes 12%, hypertension 24%), work limitations (COPD 92%, asthma 89%, diabetes 85%, hypertension 85%), and social limitations (COPD 28%, asthma 11%, diabetes 6%, hypertension 9%) as compared to patients with asthma, diabetes, and hypertension. On a 5-point scale with 1=excellent and 5=poor perceived health status, COPD patients tended to have worse adjusted health status compared to patients with asthma or hypertension, but were similar to patients with diabetes (adjusted mean±SE: 3.1±0.14 vs. 2.6±0.05, 2.7±0.02, 3.1±0.05 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that COPD patients had more functional limitations than patients with other chronic illnesses and also had lower health status as compared to patients with asthma and hypertension. Interventions designed to manage COPD effectively may help improve health-status and function.

Learning Objectives:

• To assess functional limitations in COPD relative to other chronic diseases.

Keywords: Health Assessment, Outcomes Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commertial supporters WITH THE EXCEPTION OF Sponsored by Novartis Pharmacueticals Corp..

Recorded presentation