Vol. 18 No. 1 (2020)
An Approach To:

Approach to: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

PDF HTML
  • Alexander Ni
Alexander Ni
McGill University
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26443/mjm.v18i1.197

Published 2020-10-19

Keywords

  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
  • emphysema,
  • chronic bronchitis,
  • spirometry,
  • COPD exacerbation,
  • alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

1.
Ni A. Approach to: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). McGill J Med [Internet]. 2020 Oct. 19 [cited 2025 Oct. 7];18(1). Available from: https://mjm.mcgill.ca/article/view/197

Copyright (c) 2020 McGill Journal of Medicine

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the world, affecting developing and developed countries alike. Recent advancements in medical and interventional therapies have led to decreasing overall mortality rates in the last decade. Despite these improvements, COPD continues to cause significant morbidity and lost productivity. This review summarizes the pathophysiology of COPD and the work-up of a patient with suspected COPD, emphasizing pulmonary function testing, an approach to treatment, and the management of COPD exacerbations.

PDF HTML

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

  1. Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive lung disease, Global initiative for obstructive lung disease (GOLD) 2020 report. https://goldcopd.org/. Accessed 31 July 2020
  2. Celli BR, Wedzicha JA. Update on Clinical Aspects of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. N Engl J Med 2019; 381(13):1257-1266.
  3. Rabe KF, Watz H. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lancet. 2017; 389(10082): 1931-1940.
  4. Hospital stays in Canada. Canadian Institute for Health Information. 2020. https://www.cihi.ca/en/hospital-stays-in-canada. Accessed 31 July 2020.
  5. Leading causes of death, total population, by age group. Statistics Canada. 2018. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310039401. Accessed 31 July 2020.
  6. Salvi SS, Barnes PJ. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in non-smokers. Lancet. 2009; 374(9691): 733-743.
  7. Postma DS, Bush A, van den Berge M. Risk factors and early origins of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lancet. 2015 ;385(9971): 899-909.
  8. Bossé Y et al. Early-onset emphysema in a large French-Canadian family: a genetic investigation. Lancet Respir Med. 2019; 7(5): 427-436.
  9. Postma DS, Rabe KF. The asthma-COPD overlap syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2015 24;373(13):1241-9.
  10. Negewo NA, Gibson PG, McDonald VM. COPD and its comorbidities: Impact, measurement and mechanisms. Respirology. 2015;20(8):1160-71.
  11. Badgett RG et al. Can moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease be diagnosed by historical and physical findings alone? Am J Med. 1993; 94(2): 188-196.
  12. Witt, L. #86: COPD: Diagnosis, treatment, PFTs, and nihilism. The Curbsiders, episode 86, March 18, 2018. http://thecurbsiders.com/podcast/86-copd-diagnosis-treatment-pfts-nihilism. Accessed 31 July 2020.
  13. Stenton C. The MRC breathlessness scale. Occup Med (Lond). 2008; 58(3): 226-227.
  14. Lynch DA et al. CT-Definable Subtypes of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Statement of the Fleischner Society. Radiology. 2015;277(1):192-205
  15. Strnad P, McElvaney NG, Lomas DA. Alpha1-Antitrypsin Deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2020; 382(15): 1443-1455.
  16. Cebron Lipovec N et al. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review. COPD. 2016;13(3):399-406.
  17. Shah PL et al. Lung volume reduction for emphysema. Lancet Respir Med. 2017 Feb;5(2):147-156.
  18. Fishman A et al; National Emphysema Treatment Trial Research Group. A randomized trial comparing lung-volume-reduction surgery with medical therapy for severe emphysema. N Engl J Med. 2003; 348(21):2059-73
  19. Sciurba FC et al; VENT Study Research Group. A randomized study of endobronchial valves for advanced emphysema. N Engl J Med. 2010; 363(13):1233-44.
  20. Ko FW et al. Acute exacerbation of COPD. Respirology. 2016;21(7):1152-1165.
  21. Ni, A, ed. “Block B: Respiration” from “Osler Notes”. McGill Medical Students Society, 2019. Accessed 31 July 2020.