Update on clinical aspects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide; COPD led to 3.2 million deaths in 2017, a toll expected to reach 4.4 million yearly by 2040.1,2 With a worldwide prevalence of 10.1%, COPD afflicts many people in low-income, middle-income, and wealthy countries (Figure 1), and years of life lost prematurely increased 13.2% between 2007 and 2017.1 Although COPD has traditionally been considered a disease that affects men, in some countries, the prevalence and associated mortality are higher among women than among men. In this review, we update the clinical face of COPD, concentrating on the pulmonary aspects of the disease, which also affects many other organ systems. The pathogenesis of COPD is discussed in a companion article by Agustí and Hogg in this issue of the Journal,3 and the review of muco-obstructive lung diseases in a recent issue of the Journal4 complements this article.