[Causes of lethal outcomes in presenile and senile patients treated in pulmonological hospital].

Causes of lethal outcomes were analysed for 46 patients (mean age 76.76 years, 39 males, or 84.78%, and 7 females, or 15.22%) why died of respiratory diseases when treated in War Veterans Hospital of St-Petersburg. Necropsies registered the following causes of death: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (32 deaths, 69.57%), cardiovascular diseases (17 deaths, 36.96%), cancer (14 deaths, 30.44%). Lethal outcomes were most frequent at the age of 71 to 80 years (52.17%). COPD was present in 43 of 46 of the deceased (93.48%). The most frequent direct causes of lethal outcomes in elderly patients with COPD were isolated pulmonary-cardiac insufficiency and combination of this insufficiency with pneumonia which is as an aggravating factor and determines the outcome of the basic disease.