Comorbidities and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Prevalence, Influence on Outcomes & Management

Comorbidities and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Prevalence, Influence on Outcomes & Management

COPD frequently coexists with other medical conditions known as comorbidities. The global prevalence of common comorbidities that accompany Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease have been widely reported. Researchers have also recognized that comorbidities of the pulmonary system have significant health consequences. There is very little research examining how pulmonary comorbidities should be first assessed then managed and the underlying mechanisms linking lung diseases with its comorbidities are still not completely understood. Due to these knowledge gaps, current disease-specific solutions provide health clinicians with little guidance in terms of managing conditions for multi-diseased COPD patients. This community seeks to discusses the concepts of multi-morbidities in lung disease in relation to the clinical outcomes of COPD management protocols around the globe. The community also seeks to summarize some of the published clinical scores that are frequently used to measure comorbid conditions. Furthermore, new developments in the mechanisms linking IPF, Emphysema and COPD with its related comorbidities will be discussed.