FIG: 4: Beside the cost and the burden of hospitalizations of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD), AECOPD also serve as an important marker for increased mortality, as shown in this Figure.  For patients with no AECOPD, the 5-year mortality rate is high (~20%), but this is lower than for patients who had an exacerbation that required an emergency room visit or hospitalization for an AECOPD.[4]

The worst survival rate occurs in patients who undergo repeated hospitalizations for COPD; the mortality rate at 1 year in patients who are repeatedly hospitalized for COPD appears to be about 30%, and over a 5-year period their mortality is close to 80%. 

In other words, hospitalization for AECOPD is an important cause for care, but it also identifies a patient population with increased mortality, indicating that these patients have severe illness and probably unmet medical needs. 

Abbreviations:  AECOPD, acute exacerbations of COPD; ED, emergency department; Hosp, hospitalization; Readmit, readmittance.