Management of COPD

The goals of COPD treatment are to

• reduce long-term lung function decline
• prevent and treat exacerbations
• reduce hospitalizations and mortality
• relieve disabling dyspnoea
• improve exercise tolerance and health-related quality of life
• prevent and treat complications (1,2)

To reach these goals, an effective management plan should be initiated which should include the following components:

• assess and monitor disease
• reduce risk factors
• manage stable COPD
• manage exacerbations (2)

GOLD has defined a flow chart as to how the different actions and factors in the management of COPD interact as well as providing a GOLD ABE Assessment Tool (3).

Reference

1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in over 16s: diagnosis and management. Jul 2019 [internet publication].
2. World Health Organization (WHO). Chronic respiratory disease. COPD management.
3. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 2025 report. 2025 [internet publication].