Clinical and Radiological Particularities of COPD during Aging: Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in 3 Hospitals in Kinshasa

Background and Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is announced as the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. Chest imaging plays an important guiding role. The objective of our study is to specify the clinical and functional respiratory characteristics of very old COPD patients followed in 3 hospitals in Kinshasa. Material and Methods: Documentary and analytical study were conducted using clinical data and chest imaging (radiography and computed tomography), collected from the files of 120 COPD subjects followed in three medical trainings in Kinshasa between January 2014 and June 2017. The Fisher test made it possible to compare the results obtained. We used Pearson's chi-square test to explore the associations between imaging data and clinical phenotype. The significance level was p < 0.05. Results: The study population (mean age of 64.52 ± 16.82 years) was predominantly male (78.3% n = 94). The proportion of thoracic distension (p = 0.022), pulmonary vascular change (p = 0.001), rail image (p = 0.009) and sheath trachea (p = 0.017) were significantly higher in the elderly compared to young adults. The proportions of bronchial parietal thickening (p = 0.011), and bronchial dilation (p = 0.015) were significantly higher in aging compared to young adults. Conclusion: The radiological profile of young adults differs from that of aging. It was demonstrated through the analysis of this study that the alteration of the radiological parameters and the scanner were more important in aging than in young adults.