title: [Symptoms and natural history of hospital chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since few years, the data describing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have changed and new concepts have emerged.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with COPD in a Tunisian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  It is a retrospective study including 150 patients with COPD admitted at the pulmonary department of Charles Nicolle Hospital in Tunis, during a period of ten years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from 150 patients hospitalized at the pulmonary department of Charles Nicolle Hospital in Tunis, were analyzed. They were 126 men and 24 women with a mean age of 67 years. Tobacco was the predominant risk factor. Eighty-two (55%) patients were classified GOLD stage IV at diagnosis. The number of exacerbation varied from 1 to 7 with an average higher in patients classified as stage IV (p = 0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The COPD is pathology of smoking men. Comorbidities and exacerbations prevalence increase according the disease severity. In fact, better knowledge of exacerbations etiologies allows considering better measurement of prevention.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ourari-Dhahri
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zaibi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ben Amar
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: El Gharbi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Baccar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: AzzabI
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aouina
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bouacha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology