Emergency admissions for COPD

Nationally, the number of emergency admissions for COPD among the elderly increased from 8,100 in 2015 to 10,100 in 2025, an increase of 25%. The number in the age group 75 years and older increased by 40% over the same period.

During the covid-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021), the number of emergency admissions for COPD among the elderly was significantly lower.

The number of emergency admissions for COPD per 1,000 elderly decreased slightly over the period 2015 to 2025, from nearly 23 per 1,000 elderly in 2015 to 20 per 1,000 elderly in 2025. The rate changed little from 2015 to 2019, but in the period 2022 to 2025 the rate has been lower than before the pandemic.

Geographical variation is moderate. In 2025, residents in the Lovisenberg catchment area had the highest number of emergency admissions for COPD per 1,000 elderly. The rate was more than twice as high as in the Diakonhjemmet catchment area.

The analysis is based on activity data from the Norwegian Patient Register (NPR) for somatic specialist health services. The data includes activity in public hospitals and private hospitals that provide publicly funded services.

The sample consists of emergency inpatient contacts for COPD for patients aged 75 years or older. To be counted as an admission for COPD one of the following criteria must be met: *Primary diagnosis (ICD-10) J40 - J44 *Primary diagnosis R06.0, J09-J11, J12-J18, J20, J22, J46 or J96 combined with J40-J44 as secondary diagnosis.

To avoid systematic bias resulting from routine transfers between hospitals, transfers have been taken into account. If the admission for one hospital stay occurs less than eight hours after the discharge from a previous stay, the two hospital stays have been combined and counted as one.

The place of treatment is divided into two categories:

• Local public, treated at one of the hospitals in the catchment area
• Other public, treated at a public hospital outside the catchment area

In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the countrys population in 2023 as the reference population.

In graphs with patient‑aggregated data, the numbers are adjusted to avoid double‑counting patients. The actual number of patients is therefore higher when looking at a single variable for a focus area. For example, patients who have received both private and public treatment during a year are counted only once in total, which means that the number of patients in private treatment will be underreported.

SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.