ABSTRACT
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an extremely common disorder and a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. In the United States, COPD afflicts an estimated 14 million people and is the fourth most common cause of death. In 1994, the last year for which statistics are available, 101,628 Americans died from COPD. It is essential, then, that physicians have a clear understanding of how to both diagnose and treat this disease.
