Frequency of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease cases at the Regional Hospital of Ciudad del Este, January–June 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22759836Keywords:
pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive, case frequency, nursing, risk factors, public healthAbstract
Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a particularly high burden in middle- and low-income countries. The aim was to estimate the frequency of COPD cases and describe the sociodemographic and epidemiological characteristics of patients attended at the Regional Hospital of Ciudad del Este (January–June 2025).
Materials and methods: Observational, descriptive, retrospective cross-sectional study. Documentary census of medical records with confirmed COPD diagnosis; structured form validated by expert judgment, after institutional authorization from the hospital Directorate.
Results: 1,151 records were identified. Female 56.6%; male 43.4%. Age: 60–79 years 48.7%, 40–59 years 25.6%, ≥80 years 17.5%, <40 years 8.3%. Combined exposure to smoking, biomass smoke and environmental pollutants 96.5%; smoking alone 3.5%. No comorbidity recorded 57.3%; arterial hypertension 13.1%; rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes mellitus 1.7% each. Without an institutional denominator, findings are expressed as case frequency, not prevalence.
Conclusions: COPD represents a relevant care burden, concentrated in older adults and with high combined inhalational risk exposure, underscoring the need to strengthen prevention, timely diagnosis, clinical follow-up and health education, with a central role for nursing.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Claudia Mabel Carballo Brítez, Natalia Arami Giménez Lopez, Asunción Vega Ovelar (Autor/a)
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