Pulmonology Edition is an interactive resource to support learning in the field of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. This Edition is chaired by leading COPD authority Fernando Martinez, MD, MS, an author of the highly respected GOLD guidelines. Within each chapter, you will find supportive multimedia hyperlinks that provide access to illustrations, videos, journal articles, glossary terms, online textbooks, and other resources to enhance understanding of relevant issues, plus audience polling questions and expert audio commentary.

In Chapter 1, noted epidemiologist and pulmonary physician David M. Mannino, MD, introduces this Edition with an overview of the latest epidemiologic findings on COPD.

University of Michigan pulmonologist MeiLan Han, MD, an authority on the pathology of COPD and is phenotypic variations, provides an overview of how inflammatory processes lead to pathologic changes in this disease in Chapter 2.

Chapter 3, Current Concepts in COPD Diagnosis, presented by Dr. Martinez, provides a summary of the latest diagnostic recommendations, tips to assist with the differential diagnosis, and many resources for physicians who want to fine-tune their diagnostic skills and improve the recognition of early lung disease in their practices.

Treatment of COPD involves accurate assessment of disease status at baseline and throughout the course of the disease. Common pitfalls include treating asthma and COPD with the same agents, and failure to target treatment toward the patient’s disease severity and clinical characteristics, such as a risk of frequent exacerbations. In Chapter 4, Barry Make, MD, Director of Pulmonary Rehabilitation & Respiratory Care at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, describes updates to COPD treatment recommendations.

Exacerbations of COPD are associated with high risk for hospitalization, worsening of disease course, increased mortality risk, and high treatment costs. To improve care in COPD, prompt diagnosis and appropriate management of exacerbations are essential. In Chapter 5, Barbara Yawn, MD, MSc, an authority on the primary care management of COPD, discusses symptoms and clinical characteristics to help early detection of COPD exacerbations, recommended interventions, and therapeutic approaches for outpatient exacerbation management. 

Chapter 6 highlights 2 COPD cases, presented by Barbara Yawn, MD, MSc, of Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, MN, to guide specialists and primary care providers step by step through challenging scenarios in COPD management.