The relative survival of COPD patients on long‐term oxygen therapy in Australia: A comparative study

OBJECTIVE: The survival of patients with COPD on long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) has been studied using both univariate and multivariate procedures. There has been only one previous report of relative survival. Relative survival takes into account the risk of death due to increasing age. The objective of this study was to determine the relative survival of a group of South Australian patients prescribed home oxygen therapy for COPD. METHODOLOGY: A method proposed by Hakulinen was used to determine relative survival. The results were compared with the relative survival of a similar group of French COPD patients. RESULTS: A total of 505 COPD patients (249 males, 256 females) were included in the survival analysis. Relative survival corrected for life expectancy was 78.1%, 56.7%, 23.1% and 1.1% at 1, 2, 5 and 10 years, respectively, which was less than that reported in a recent French study of comparable patients. Our patients were similar with respect to age, severity of hypoxaemia and oxygen usage to those in the French study. CONCLUSIONS: Using relative survival analysis, Australian LTOT patients with COPD have worse outcomes than some European patients. Factors contributing to the excess mortality in South Australian COPD patients need to be investigated.