title: [A descriptive study of the socio-demographic and clinical profile of the patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find out the socio-demographic and clinical profile of the patient with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): characteristics, state of health, situation of disease and social resources.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive, longitudinal and prospective study, in the Morales Meseguer and Reina Sofía Hospitals in Murcia (Spain), was performed between June 2007 and April 2008. The inclusion criteria was hospital admission due to COPD and patients with cognitive deterioration, a hospital stay > 30 days or < 2 days, or were institutionalised, were excluded. Socio-demographic, state of health and social variables were collected using the patient's clinical history and an interview during hospital stay and at discharge. The descriptive statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS v.15.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 143 patients were studied, of which 90.2% were males who had a mean age of 72.76 ± 8.04 years, 95.1% were in an inactive work situation and had a mean score on the social problem scale of 8.08 ± 2.1. Most were in a fragile state (71.3%), approximately half (44.8%) suffered heart disease as the main co-morbidity factor, and the impact of the disease on quality of life was 55.1 ± 19.01. The level of knowledge on the therapeutic regime was 3.13 ± 0.7. A total of 72% were independent for carrying out Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL) after hospital discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the population that suffers from COPD were elderly males, who were retired without social problems, with a high percentage of co-morbidity, an intermediate alteration in their quality of life, having a moderate level of knowledge about the therapeutic regime and were independent for BADL, but fragile.
authors.affiliation: Gerencia Área VI, Unidad de coordinación y desarrollo de la investigación en enfermería (Investén-ISCIII), Vega Media del Segura, Murcia, España. evaabadcorpa@ono.com
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abad-Corpa
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Royo-Morales
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iniesta-Sánchez
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Mondéjar
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carrillo-Alcaraz
authors.forename: M Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pérez-García
authors.forename: M Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pérez-Gómez
authors.forename: Angeles Rosario
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Saez-Soto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors