Comprehensive care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic disease globally. Patients who suffer from COPD have significant morbidity, and thus incur heavy utilization of healthcare resources (1-3). Many COPD patients experience exacerbations in the course of the disease (4). COPD exacerbations are defined as an acute worsening of respiratory symptoms that results in additional therapy (1). The cost of hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations is marked and is the single largest source of healthcare expenditure for these patients (5,6). Frequent exacerbations have an adverse effect on both the quality of life (QOL) and pulmonary function of COPD patients (7-9). In addition, many patients are elderly with multiple comorbidities, such as cardiac disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis and psychological disorders (10,11). Correct diagnosis and appropriate disease assessment are essential for clinical management of all COPD patients