management of COPD

Last edited 02/2021 and last reviewed 03/2021

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 have defined a flow chart as to how the different actions and factors in management of COPD interact (3):

© 2020, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, available from www.goldcopd.org, published in Fontana, WI, USA.

An explanation of the combined ABCD tool in GOLD (3):

© 2020, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, available from www.goldcopd.org, published in Fontana, WI, USA.

Reference:

• (1) Qaseem A et al. Diagnosis and management of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a clinical practice guideline update from the American College of Physicians, American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, and European Respiratory Society. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155(3):179-91. 
• (2) World Health Organization (WHO). Chronic respiratory disease. COPD management.
• (3) Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (2021 Report)