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
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in over 16s: diagnosis and management. Jul 2019 [internet publication].
- World Health Organization (WHO). Chronic respiratory disease. COPD management.
- 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].
Related pages
- Management of stable COPD
- Infective exacerbations of COPD
- Oxygen therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Oxygen therapy in chronic respiratory failure due to COPD
- Inhaled corticosteroids in COPD
- Venesection
- Diuretics in COPD
- Referral criteria from primary care – COPD
- Other non-drug treatment
- Chronic obstructive airways disease (anaesthesia fitness)
- Follow-up of COPD in primary care
- Palliative care in end-stage COPD
- Assessment and monitoring of COPD
- NICE guidance - management of stable COPD
- Prophylactic antibiotic therapy in COPD
- Hospital or community setting for management of exacerbation of COPD
Create an account to add page annotations
Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page