CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE COMPENSATORY MEASURES

Course overview

ACCORDING TO EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) IS EXPECTED TO BE THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH. ALTHOUGH THE PROGNOSIS OF AFFECTED PATIENTS IS IMPROVING WITH NEW TREATMENT MODALITIES, THE MORTALITY IN THESE PATIENTS IS STILL HIGH. TOBACCO SMOKING ACCOUNTS FOR MOST CASES OF COPD IN DEVELOPED NATIONS. HOWEVER, IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS ARE THE MAJOR CAUSE OF COPD. NEARLY 90% OF COPD-RELATED MORTALITY AMONG INDIVIDUALS YOUNGER THAN 70 YEARS OF AGE OCCURS IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE CAUSES OF COPD, THE OPTIONS FOR EVALUATION, TREATMENT, AND PREVENTION, AND DISCUSSES THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN MANAGING AND EDUCATING PATIENTS WITH COPD.