Gerard J Criner, Jean Bourbeau, Rebecca L Diekemper, Daniel R Ouellette, Donna Goodridge, Paul Hernandez, Kristen Curren, Meyer S Balter, Mohit Bhutani, Pat G Camp, Bartolome R Celli, Gail Dechman, Mark T Dransfield, Stanley B Fiel, Marilyn G Foreman, Nicola A Hanania, Belinda K Ireland, Nathaniel Marchetti, Darcy D Marciniuk, Richard A Mularski, Joseph Ornelas, Jeremy D Road, Michael K Stickland
BACKGROUND: COPD is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States as well as throughout the rest of the world. An exacerbation of COPD (periodic escalations of symptoms of cough, dyspnea, and sputum production) is a major contributor to worsening lung function, impairment in quality of life, need for urgent care or hospitalization, and cost of care in COPD. Research conducted over the past decade has contributed much to our current understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of COPD...
April 2015: Chest