Exacerbations of COPD
chest tightness, dyspnea, wheezing, cough, ECOPD, COPD
COPD, EVENTS
An exacerbation of COPD was defined as an increase in or new onset of two or more of the following symptoms: cough, dyspnea, sputum production, wheezing, or chest tightness leading to treatment with either antibiotics or systemic glucocorticoids for at least three days. ECOPD severity was graded as mild (outpatient management with or without contact with a healthcare provider), moderate (resulting in emergency department visits), severe (resulting in hospitalization), or very severe (requiring mechanical ventilation). For this analysis, we evaluated ECOPD of any severity and severe ECOPD (which included both severe and very severe events).