Frequency and Severity of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Cigarette Smokers Attending Psychiatry Out Patients Department

Abstract

Background and objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. People with psychiatric illnesses are more prone to smoke and may develop obscure COPD which may remain undiagnosed because of over shadowing of psychiatric diseases. No local study is available regarding frequency and grades of severity of COPD in cigarette smokers’ psychiatric illnesses so current research was undertaken. Methodology:  One hundred and eighty (180) patients with history of current or former cigarette smoking presenting to department of psychiatry were enrolled in the study. Patients underwent spirometry and COPD was diagnosed and severity was labeled according to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria. Results: A total of 180 patients were included in our study sampled with mean of 55.90 ± 7.80 ranged from 42 to 69. Forty six (46) patients (25.6%) among study population (n=180) had undiagnosed COPD. When sampled population was graded regarding severity of COPD, among 46 COPD patients (25.6%), 27 patients (15%) were in grade I, 9 (5%) were in grade II, 6 (3.3%) were in grade III and remaining 4 patients (2.2%) were in grade IV severity category.Conclusion: Frequency of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is high in cigarette smokers presenting to psychiatry OPD and grades of its severity showed correlation with duration of disease.