Abstract

COPD is a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms due to abnormalities of the airways or alveoli that cause persistent, often progressive, airflow obstruction. Globally, in 2019, COPD is the third most common cause of death and an increasingly important contributor to morbidity due to an ageing population, urbanization, and persistence of risk factors. COPD risk factors include tobacco smoking, environmental or occupational sources of lung irritants, history of severe childhood infections, pulmonary tuberculosis, abnormal   lung   development, and age    40    or    more    years.    Rare risk factors of COPD include genetic components, such as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (ACE CLINICAL GUIDANCE,2024).

Although COPD is not fully reversible, once diagnosed it can be effectively managed in primary care. Primary care plays an important role in detecting new cases in the community to generate early intervention opportunities, including counselling to quit smoking, and initiating pharmacotherapy to reduce symptoms and future risk of exacerbations. Treatment of COPD acute exacerbations should be initiated with short-acting inhaled beta2 -agonists with or without antimuscarinics. The main goals in managing stable COPD are reducing symptoms and risk of future exacerbations.1 Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures are important to achieve COPD management goals and reduce associated morbidity and mortality (ACE CLINICAL GUIDANCE,2024).