To determine sex and age variations in hospital readmissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with overall and cardiac comorbid conditions.
A one-year follow-up study was conducted for 108 726 COPD in-patients aged >or=40 years who were discharged alive after their first admission in the 1999-2000 fiscal year.
Within a year, 38 955 of the patients were readmitted to hospital for COPD. The incidence rate of COPD readmission was 49.1% per year. It was higher for men than women aged >or=70 years, but was almost the same for patients aged