Background: Frequent and highly prevalent as comorbidities in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients, both depression and anxiety seem to have an impact on COPD prognosis. However, they are underdiagnosed and rarely treated properly.Aim: To establish the prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients admitted for Acute Exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) and determine their influence on COPD prognosis.Methods: Prospective observational study conducted from October 1, 2016 to October 1, 2018 at the following centers in Galicia, Spain: Salnés County Hospital, Arquitecto Marcide, and Clinic Hospital Complex of Santiago de Compostela. Patients admitted for AECOPD who agreed to participate and completed the anxiety and depression scale (HADS) were included in the study.Results: 288 patients (46.8%) were included, mean age was 73.7 years (SD 10.9), 84.7% were male. 67.7% patients were diagnosed with probable depression, and depression was established in 41.7%; anxiety was probable in 68.2% and established in 35.4%. 60.4% of all patients showed symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Multivariate analysis relates established depression with a higher risk of late readmission (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.28; 3.31) and a lower risk of mortality at 18 months (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.37; 0.90).Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety and depression in COPD patients is high. Depression seems to be an independent factor for AECOPD, so early detection and a multidisciplinary approach could improve the prognosis of both entities. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Galicia (code 2016/460).

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of residential radon exposure on the risk of lung cancer in never-smokers and to ascertain if environmental tobacco smoke modifies the effect of residential radon.We designed a multicentre hospital-based case–control study in a radon-prone area (Galicia, Spain). All participants were never-smokers. Cases had an anatomopathologically confirmed primary lung cancer and controls were recruited from individuals undergoing minor, non-oncological surgery. Residential radon was measured using alpha track detectors.We included 521 individuals, 192 cases and 329 controls, 21% were males. We observed an odds ratio of 2.42 (95% CI 1.45–4.06) for individuals exposed to ≥200 Bq·m⁻³compared with those exposed to 200 Bq·m⁻³. Individuals exposed to environmental tobacco smoke and to radon concentrations >200 Bq·m⁻³had higher lung cancer risk than those exposed to lower radon concentrations and exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.Residential radon increases lung cancer risk in never-smokers. An association between residential radon exposure and environmental tobacco smoke on the risk of lung cancer might exist.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Identifying potentially-modifiable predictors of mortality could help optimize COPD patient management. The aim of this study is to determine long-term mortality following hospitalization due to acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD), as well as AECOPD mortality predictors. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study by reviewing the medical records of all patients admitted with AECOPD in the University Hospital Complex of Santiago de Compostela in 2007 and 2008. In order to identify variables independently associated with mortality, we conducted a multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis including those variables which proved to be significant in the univariate analysis. Results: Seven hundred and fifty seven patients were assessed. Patient mean age was 74.8 years and males accounted for 77% of all patients. Mean stay was 12.2 days. Three point six percent of all patients required intensive care. As for mortality rates, 1-year mortality was 26.2%, and 5-year mortality was 64.3%. In both scenarios, the most frequent causes of death were respiratory and cardiovascular disorders. Factors independently associated with mortality were older age, hospitalization by internal medicine (IMU), length of stay, the need for mechanical ventilation (MV) or noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV), early readmission, and history of atrial fibrillation (AF) and dementia. Conclusions: In patients with COPD, age, exacerbation severity and comorbidity have long-term prognostic significance.