[Mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a role of comorbidity].

The purpose of research was to study the role of comorbidity in mortality of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 78 patients with COPD were being dynamically observed during 4 years. 18 patients (23.1%) died in that period. Upon the average, it was detected 3.35 +/- 0.24 chronic diseases in the patients with COPD and 5.11 +/- 0.62 in died patients (p < 0.01). In died patients myocardium infarction was registered 3.3 times more frequently (p = 0.05), signs of blood circulation insufficiency--also 3.3 times more frequently and heart rhythm disturbances - 2 times more frequently. Average index of comorbidity was 3.00 +/- 0.19 in patients with COPD. Significant difference between indexes of comorbidity in died and survived patients (p < 0.001) was established. Therefore, COPD comorbidity is a marker of survival rate, and doctors have to consider it developing the plan of COPD therapy. Index of comorbidity can be used in clinical practice as a simple way of COPD death risk determination. When this index is more than 3, a patient has a high risk of death.