BMJ  2006;332:1379-1381 (10 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7554.1379

Practice

ABC of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Non-pharmacological management

Graeme P Currie, specialist registrar, J Graham Douglas, consultant

Respiratory Unit, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen.

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive and largely irreversible disorder. Unsurprisingly, drugs alone cannot ensure optimum short and long term outcomes. As a consequence, there is increasing interest in the role of non-drug strategies and multi-disciplinary team input in the overall management of COPD.


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  		Pulmonary rehabilitation should be offered to most patients with COPD

 

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  		A determined attempt should be made to break the vicious circle of worsening breathlessness, reduced physical activity, and deconditioning

 

Depending on local availability, consider referring all COPD patients—irrespective of age, functional limitation, and smoking status—for pulmonary rehabilitation. This is "a multidisciplinary programme of care for patients with chronic respiratory impairment that is individually tailored and designed to optimise physical and social performance and autonomy." A suitable programme is important in breaking the vicious cycle of worsening breathlessness, reduced physical activity, and deconditioning that many patients experience, and pulmonary rehabilitation plays a major role in . . . [Full text of this article]


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