US Pharm. 2024;49(7):1.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant global health burden. Characterized by significant airflow decrease in the lungs, it results in cough and dyspnea. This November 11 and 12, the world’s largest educational symposium on COPD, organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), is taking place in Philadelphia and online. The 9th Annual GOLD International Conference on COPD is cohosted by the Temple Lung Center, a national research hub for clinical care of advanced lung disease.
GOLD—launched in 1997 with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization—teams up with healthcare professionals around the world to raise awareness of COPD and improve prevention and treatment. Through the development of evidence-based management strategy documents and annual events such as World COPD Day and the GOLD International COPD Conference, GOLD works to improve the lives of patients.
Both conference days are in a hybrid format, with in-person sessions simulcast virtually to a global audience. Attendance at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown includes entry to product theaters, sponsored sessions, and the exhibit hall, while both in-person and virtual registrations include access to the on-demand library for 1 year following the conference. To learn more and to register, visit https://goldcopd.org.
As highlighted in this issue’s Health Systems Edition article titled “Overview of the Diagnosis and Treatment of COPD Exacerbations,” patients may contend with acute COPD exacerbations (AECOPD), a complication characterized by increased symptom severity. (This article is also available to all U.S. Pharmacist readers online at www.uspharmacist.com.) A diagnosis of AECOPD involves ruling out other potential causes of the symptoms, and treatment includes antibiotics, corticosteroids, and bronchodilators. Nonpharmacologic treatments not only can help relieve patients’ current exacerbations, note authors Jessica Papke, PharmD, BCPS, and Caitlin Loo, PharmD Candidate 2025, but they may also forestall flare-ups. “Pharmacists are instrumental in the care of patients with AECOPD,” they add. “Counseling these patients on proper inhaler techniques to prevent exacerbations is vital to successful disease control.”
A component of COPD, emphysema, is explored in this issue in the continuing education lesson by Katherine Hale, PharmD, BCPS, MFA, titled “Emphysema Evaluation, Management, and Treatment.” Cigarette smoking is a primary culprit in emphysema development, she points out, but other environmental and occupational exposures may play a role.
“Pharmacists are problem solvers and may work with patients and providers to improve long-term adherence to medication therapy, reduce medication burden by optimizing combination inhaler therapy where appropriate, and reduce medication costs where possible,” Dr. Hale writes.
