Patient Related Outcomes-BODE (PRO-BODE): A composite index incorporating health utilization resources predicts mortality and economic cost of COPD in real life

•Economic were never added to clinical indices for assessing COPD impact.•The novel PRO (Patient Related Outcome) BODE index is proposed.•Several economic and clinical variables were collected in 275 patients for 3 years.•PBI proves much more able to predict mortality than other composite indices.•PBI also works as a valuable prognostic tool.

Multidimensional scores were proposed for defining COPD outcomes, but without any incorporation of the economic COPD cost to clinical indices.Aimusing mortality as an outcome, the hypothesis that adding total health care cost to the BODE index would better predict mortality in COPD was investigated.Methods275 COPD patients were surveyed. Anthropometrics, lung function, the BODE and the Charlson Comorbidity Index were determined. History of exacerbations, ER visits, hospitalizations and mortality were also determined over the next three years, being their rates graded and added to the BODE index according to a simple algorithm. The novel PRO-BODE index ranged 0-10 points; its relationship to annual total COPD cost and survival was assessed by linear regression analysis.Resultstotal COD cost showed the highest relationship with survival (r = −0.58), even higher than that of age and of BODE index (r = −0.28 and r = −0.21, respectively). The integrated Pro-BODE score proved proportional to the cost of care and inversely proportional to the length of survival.ConclusionsPro-BODE is a novel composite index which helps in predicting in real life the impact of COPD over three years, both in terms of patients' survival and of COPD economic burden.