Epidemiology and treatment effects in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Year: 2011
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health epidemic, which has important\\nconsequences for patients and community, and still receives insufficient attention from\\nthe health care professionals and scientists. COPD is a leading cause of chronic morbidity\\n(affects 210 million people) and mortality (causes 3 million deaths per year) worldwide, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is the fifth most common cause\\nof death and the 10th most burdensome disease.\\nThe first definition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be found in the 60\\xe2\\x80\\x99s\\nand incorporates both terms \\xe2\\x80\\x9cemphysema\\xe2\\x80\\x9d and \\xe2\\x80\\x9cchronic bronchitis\\xe2\\x80\\x9d.\\nAccording to the Global Initiative for obstructive lung diseases (GOLD), COPD is defined\\nas a \\xe2\\x80\\x9cpreventable and treatable disease with some significant extra-pulmonary effects that\\nmay contribute to the severity in individual patients. The pulmonary component is characterized\\nby airflow limitation, which is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually\\nprogressive and associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious\\nparticles or gases, such as cigarette smoke\\xe2\\x80\\x9d. COPD is clinically characterized by symptoms\\nlike cough, sputum production, and/or dyspnea. The diagnosis is confirmed by spirometry\\nand accordingly has four stages, from mild (GOLD stage I) to very severe (GOLD stage IV). Patients with COPD typically have a decrease in both FEV1 and a FEV1/FVC ratio of less\\nthan 0.7. Using this ratio as cut-off point for all patients is currently questioned as it may\\nunderestimate COPD in the young and overestimate COPD in older populations.\\nThe GOLD definition has become globally accepted for the diagnosis of COPD and some\\ncrucial components of this definition have been incorporated by the European Respiratory\\nSociety (ERS) and by the American Thoracic Society (ATS).
Author: Ana S.M. Afonso
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1507480643