[Editorial] Towards better management of COPD (Lancet)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous syndrome that can result from several respiratory conditions, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthma, and is recognised as one of the world`s major public health crises. According to WHO, COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide. In advance of this year`s American Thoracic Society (ATS) conference in Denver, CO, USA (May 15-20), the ATS and the European Respiratory Society released a joint description of the present and future state of COPD research.