ABSTRACT
The importance of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has only recently been recognized by the formulation of international treatment guidelines. The WHO and the US National Institutes of Health have formed a Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), and have formulated a ‘Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD’. The 20 members of the Gold Expert Panel have
strategy. The report was released in 2001, with an update in July 2003, and is available in pamphlet form and on the internet (www.goldcopd.com)3,4.
