Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: clinical review and update on consensus guidelines.

In the last 2 decades, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been increasingly recognized as a major public health problem. Since the introduction of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease in 1998, growing interest in the pathogenesis and management of patients with COPD has led to notable improvements in patient care and quality of life. Despite greater awareness of this common preventable disease and major therapeutic advances during this period, the global impact of COPD remains strikingly large.