[Long-term treatment strategy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: how to change the course of the disease].

COPD is a pulmonary disease with a systemic impact. The goals of COPD assessment are to determine the severity of the disease to guide management. Smoking cessation is a prime objective at all the stages of the disease to modify the long-term decline in lung function, reduce the COPD symptoms, and the frequency of exacerbations, improve health status and reduce mortality.