Updated Lung Disease Guidelines Aim To Reduce World's Fourth Largest Killer

By: Respiratory News

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) will release updated clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) today. The guideline launch takes place during National COPD Awareness Month -- a month dedicated to encouraging healthcare professionals and advocacy groups to increasing awareness of COPD by planning a series of activities around the nation.

COPD is a devastating disease that progressively robs sufferers of air. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the Unites States(1). Ten to fifteen million people have been diagnosed with COPD but twice that number have evidence of COPD and have not yet been diagnosed(2). COPD also imposes a dramatic economic burden: According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than $50 billion per year (a conservative estimate) is spent on COPD-related medical expenditures, with an additional $50 billion in indirect cost(3).

Early symptoms of COPD include coughing, bringing up sputum, and getting out of breath during exercise or exertion. Many patients, and sometimes their doctors as well, ignore or discount these symptoms as a normal part of getting older. However, without treatment COPD is generally a progressive disease, and as the disease gets worse patients become breathless during everyday activities such as climbing a flight of stairs, walking the dog, or even getting washed and dressed in the morning.

"COPD is not a hopeless disease. Today there are good treatments available to help COPD patients feel better and live active lives," says David M. Mannino, M.D., Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Kentucky Medical Center and Co-Chair, US COPD Coalition, US GOLD Guidelines Committee. "We want to encourage health care workers to recognize the early signs of COPD, because treatment is more effective if the disease is diagnosed early." A simple, painless breathing test called spirometry can confirm whether a patient has COPD.

The guideline document released today, Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD, is a comprehensive update of a report originally produced in 2001. The update includes state-of-the-art recommendations about COPD pathogenesis, diagnosis, and pharmacologic treatment. It emphasizes COPD systemic effects and complications, an important emerging concept in the treatment of this lung disease. "This new report continues GOLD's work to provide up-to-date management and prevention strategies that can be adapted to different health systems around the world in the fight against COPD," said Dr. Mannino.

The new guidelines also continue to emphasize the importance of reducing the exposure to COPD risk factors in order to prevent the development of the disease and slow its progression. Worldwide, the most commonly encountered risk factor for COPD is cigarette smoking, and steps to encourage smoking cessation and reduce tobacco use are an important part of the strategy for prevention and control of COPD. However, other risk factors for COPD, including dusts and chemicals encountered on the job and smoke from biomass fuels (such as coal, wood, and animal dung) burned for cooking and heating in poorly ventilated dwellings-an important cause of COPD especially among women in developing countries-must not be ignored.

The GOLD guideline document contains evidence-based recommendations for COPD management and was developed by an international team of pulmonary experts. More information about COPD and a copy of the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD are available on the GOLD Website, http://www.goldcopd.org.

About GOLD:

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) is a nonprofit organization that was created to increase awareness of COPD among health professionals, public health authorities, and the general public, and to improve prevention and management through a concerted worldwide effort. The initiative prepares scientific reports on COPD, encourages dissemination and adoption of the reports, and promotes international collaboration on COPD research. Its activities are supported by unrestricted educational grants from the following sponsors: Altana Pharma, AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline, Mitsubishi Pharma, Nikken Chemicals and Novartis. For further information visit http://www.goldcopd.org

About World COPD Day: World COPD Day, organized by GOLD, was first held in 2002 and since then has grown to become one of the most prominent COPD awareness-raising events worldwide. The annual event is held on the third Wednesday in November (in 2006, November 15), with dozens of activities for health care professionals, patients and the public, and media members held in over 50 countries around the world.

References:

1. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Fact Sheet. American Lung Association. Available from URL: http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35020. 2006.

2. COPD Fact Sheet. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Available from URL: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/other/copd_fact.pdf. 2006

3. Food and Drug Administration. Pulmonary Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee. COPD - Alert Presentation Before The Committee. Available from URL: http://www.copd-alert.com/FDA-H.html. 2002.