Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and progressive airflow obstruction. Tobacco smoking is the leading cause but not the only one. A postbronchodilator FEV₁-FVC ratio less than 0.70 is required for a diagnosis of COPD. Inhaler therapy is the backbone of treatment and should be complemented by a multifaceted management strategy that includes counseling and pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation, pulmonary rehabilitation, treatment of comorbidities, administration of influenza and pneumococcal immunizations, and prescription of long-term oxygen therapy in hypoxemic patients.
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Labaki et al. (2020) studied this question.
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