First International Guidelines on Lung Disease

The first international guidelines for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) have been released by an international team of scientists from the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). GOLD was created by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization.

Called the GOLD Workshop Report, the guidelines provides evidence-based recommendations for the clinical management of COPD and are the first step in an international effort to boost awareness of COPD and improve the way it is treated. The report emphasizes the need for clinicians and patients to recognize cough and sputum production as early signs of possible COPD and calls for the use of spirometry to confirm diagnosis. It also provides a general scheme for classifying COPD by severity to help clinicians determine how best to manage the condition. Practical recommendations for reducing risk factors and for managing both stable COPD and exacerbations are also provided.

COPD has been on the increase, with the number of U.S. deaths alone increasing to around 100,000 men and women per year. The highest rate of U.S. increase has been in white women. According to the National Institutes of Health, COPD will rank as the third leading cause of death, surpassing stroke, by 2020.
"A concerted effort by government officials, health care workers, biomedical researchers, industry, and patients throughout the world is required to improve the way COPD is diagnosed and managed and to increase research into improved treatments and ultimately a cure,” said Dr. Claude Lenfant, director of the NHLBI. "This effort has begun with the launch of the GOLD Initiative today.”

Copies of the GOLD Workshop Report and other information on COPD are available on the NHLBI website (www.nhlbi.nih.gov).




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