title: [COPD - a historical review, current management and research perspectives].
abstract: The term COPD which comprises chronic obstructive bronchitis and emphysema, was first defined in 1964. Key milestones to the understanding of the etiopathology of COPD were the discovery of the association between tobacco consumption and the development of chronic bronchitis as well as the discovery of the role of a protease-antiprotease imbalance leading to emphysema. The assessment of functional impairement of patients with COPD was established in the 1960s and the quantification and localisation was predominantly explored in the 1980s. The management of COPD comprises preventative measures (e.g. smoking cessation, vaccination against influenza, reduction of occupation hazards), medical therapies (bronchodilators, corticosteroids), non-pharmacological therapies (exercise training, patient education, physiotherapy) as well as surgical options. The prevention and efficiency management of exacerbations are of particular importance. Optimal management of COPD has to take impact of the disease on other organs into account. The future of COPD-related research lies in the development of international and national networks to facilitate the analysis of genetic factors on the pathology of COPD.
authors.affiliation: Direktor der Klinik für Innere Medizin mit Schwerpunkt Pneumologie, Universitätsklinikum Giessen und Marburg.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vogelmeier
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Worth
mesh_terms: D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015444:Exercise; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D012106:Research; D016540:Smoking Cessation
chemical_list: D001993:Bronchodilator Agents