Lung disease COPD: Lancet special publication on diagnosis, treatment and prevention
Leading international specialists describe the global health burden of COPD / New classification by cause and comprehensive diagnostic criteria should significantly improve early detection and prevention of the disease
More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from COPD, and around 3.3 million people die from the lung disease every year. COPD, which stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is a lung disease in which the airways are permanently constricted. Leading international COPD experts have now summarized important impulses for improved diagnosis, treatment and prevention in a special publication of the renowned British journal Lancet (Impact Factor 200). In addition to consistent protection against air pollution, the 29 COPD specialists propose a redefinition of the disease types, describe significantly expanded diagnostics and call for greater investment in COPD research. The publication was released on September 6, 2022 and presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona.
"COPD is a huge global health burden for people of all countries, socioeconomic groups and ages, with poorer, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups particularly affected," says Prof. Dr. Daiana Stolz, first author of the Lancet publication and Medical Director of the Department of Pneumology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. Cigarette smoking is still the most common cause of COPD in Europe.
"We need a rethink. We need to diagnose the disease earlier, before the organ is finally damaged, and treat it in a more personalized way. This requires a targeted research approach. At the same time, we need to pay more attention to risk factors such as air pollution, prenatal exposure and early childhood infections. Otherwise we risk losing the progress we have made with smoking elsewhere," says Stolz.
Lancet publication
Title: Towards the elimination of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a Lancet Commission
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01273-9
Link to publication:www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01273-9
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Daiana Stolz
Medical Director
Department of Pneumology
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Phone: 0761 270-37050
daiana.stolz@uniklinik-freiburg.de
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