Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease An Issue Of Clinics In Chest Medicine Volume 41 3 PDF Download

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global health problem that is increasing throughout the world, especially in developing countries. This increase reflects continuing cigarette smoking, which remains the commonest cause, but also relates to aging populations since COPD is a disease of the elderly and may be regarded as accelerated aging of the lung. In addition to cigarette smoking, other causal mechanisms, such as exposure to biomass fuels, air pollution, and poor nutrition, as well as poverty, are also recognized as contributory risk factors. COPD is now the third most prevalent cause of death in Western countries and its mortality is rising in developing countries. It has now become one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization. Although it is one of the most common chronic diseases, it is still poorly recognized among the general public and among doctors, with over half of the patients undiagnosed and many of the diagnosed cases mistreated. There is a major need to better understand this complex disease, which appears to include many poorly understood phenotypes. It is increasingly recognized that COPD occurs with several comorbidities, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and lung cancer, which have a major effect on clinical outcomes and management. This volume brings together current knowledge of COPD, written by international experts, and explores every aspect of the disease from epidemiology, through clinical presentation, to underlying mechanisms and clinical management.