Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Globally, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the main causes of illness and death. Understanding the problem with respect to these factors is essential to finding a solution. Therefore, this study aimed to determine time to death and its predictors among outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease followed up in northwestern Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study design was applied to collect relevant information on time to death from the medical patient's charts of 248 outpatients with COPD under follow-up at the UGRH. The information was explored using log-rank tests and Kaplan‒Meier plots. We used the Cox PH model for the time to death of outpatients with COPD. RESULTS: Out of 248 COPD patients treated at UoG from January 1, 2020 to December 30, 2022, 82 (33.1%) patients died. The study population consisted of 248 patients who received COPD drug treatment during follow-up, of whom 148 (59.7%) were male, and 145 (58.5%) resided in urban areas. CONCLUSION: The Cox proportional hazards (PH) model identified sex, occupation, comorbidities, age, HIV status, weight, marital status, and smoking as risk factors for time to death.