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Key Points
- The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) program releases consensus reports to provide evidence-based recommendations about the management and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
- The most recent major update occurred in November 2018.
- The 2019 GOLD strategy for COPD assessment now separates lung function measures from respiratory symptom scores because lung function is only weakly correlated to symptoms and health status impairment.
- The updated strategy now provides recommendations for initiation and maintenance of pharmacologic therapy in patients based on exacerbation risk and symptom scores, with consideration of blood eosinophil counts.
- Management of exacerbations now includes the prevention of future exacerbations, which may require adding another medication to the patient's maintenance regimen.
About the Authors:
Jennifer Banfield, APRN, FNP
Clinical Research Coordinator
Boys Town National Research Hospital
Boys Town, Nebraska
Kevin R. Murphy, MD
Director of Allergy, Asthma, and Pulmonary Research
Boys Town National Research Hospital
Boys Town, Nebraska
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Creighton University School of Medicine
Omaha, Nebraska