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Clinical Consensus on COPD 2009
ARTICLE IN PRESS R E S P I R AT O RY M E D I C I N E : C O P D U P D AT E
COPD is a major global health problem that should concern us all. Recent WHO figures show that an estimated 210 million people have COPD worldwide with in excess of 3 million deaths in 2005, equal to 5% of all deaths globally that year.1 In the absence of interventions to cut risks, the death-toll from COPD is projected to increase by more than 30% in the next 10 years. COPD is now rising up the healthcare agenda. Longstanding initiatives such as Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and Burden of Lung Disease (BOLD) have highlighted the massive burden of COPD worldwide, and national and international programmes have been initiated in order to face this healthcare challenge. In the UK for example, a National Service Framework for COPD is being developed, scheduled for implementation in 2009. At clinical and academic conferences COPD is not as heavily covered as other public enemy diseases, such as heart disease or diabetes, but there are increasing opportunities for healthcare professionals to discuss and debate COPD-focused clinical research. At the first Clinical Consensus on COPD 2007 conference in London, over 900 healthcare professionals and clinical experts from 52 countries gathered to discuss the latest advances in managing the causes and clinical outcomes for COPD patients.2 The second running of this event will take place in London on March 21st–22nd 2009 and will incorporate the increased clinical knowledge of the intervening 2 years. Clinical Consensus on COPD 2009 is being produced in association with Respiratory Medicine: COPD Update, and is an opportunity to get to grips with the latest clinical research and best practice in both the primary and the secondary care setting. Designed by an advisory board of globally acknowledged opinion leaders in COPD, and delivered by a faculty of recognized experts, the multidisciplinary programme will
1745-0454/$ - see front matter doi:10.1016/j.rmedu.2008.08.003
4 (2008) 125– 126
tackle the most challenging aspects of clinical diagnosis, management and therapy of COPD. A series of state-of-theart plenary sessions will be accompanied by conference tracks and workshops that will look both at acute care and at out-of-hospital care, with the latest best-practice approaches to delivery of care in these settings. The Conference Chair will be Professor Wisia Wedzicha, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London. The content of the sessions on burden of disease will address the fact that COPD now affects men and women almost equally, due in part to increased tobacco use among women in high-income countries, and also due to the contribution of passive smoke inhalation, air pollution and occupational factors in the development of COPD. Mechanisms and manifestations of disease will be dissected in sessions that look critically at disease phenotypes in COPD, both in terms of clinical pathology and also biomarkers. Diagnosis and health status of patients is also an important part of how COPD is manifest in general practice, including a growing body of data on patient-reported outcomes. Acute exacerbation is always a critical part of any clinical discussion on COPD and the programme looks at new thinking as to management of these episodes, in terms of the timing and nature of clinical intervention. Of the few drugs available or in the pipeline, what and when is most effective and what is the latest thinking as regards non-drug management? Similarly, COPD is acknowledged to be a disease associated with comorbid syndromes. One can look at COPD as a lung disease at with system-wide impact or as a systemic disease with serious lung manifestations. Either way, the management of cardiometabolic, musculoskeletal and neuropsychological symptoms is now central to the management of COPD. Alongside high-quality clinical research, Clinical Consensus on COPD 2009 will also provide the opportunity to benefit
ARTICLE IN PRESS 126
R E S P I R AT O RY M E D I C I N E : C O P D U P DAT E
from workshops focused on key diagnostic and patient management tasks. Direct access to experts in spirometry, oxygen therapy, non-invasive ventilation and rehabilitation provides a tremendous learning opportunity, and will be bolstered by expert opinion in service delivery. Readers of Respiratory Medicine: COPD Update need no persuading as to the ongoing challenges of managing COPD in their patient community. To hear and share the mostrecent experience and clinical guidance from your peers in primary and secondary care, please join us at Clinical
4 (2008) 125– 126
Consensus on COPD in London in March 2009, for 2 days of outstanding lectures, seminars and workshops. R E F E R E N C E S
1. WHO Fact sheet No. 315, May 2008, /http://www.who.int/ mediacentre/factsheets/fs315S. 2. Brines R, Thorne M. Clinical consensus on COPD. Respiratory Medicine: COPD Update 2007;3:42–8.
COPD is a major global health problem that should concern us all. Recent WHO figures show that an estimated 210 million people have COPD worldwide with in excess of 3 million deaths in 2005, equal to 5% of all deaths globally that year.1 In the absence of interventions to cut risks, the death-toll from COPD is projected to increase by more than 30% in the next 10 years. COPD is now rising up the healthcare agenda. Longstanding initiatives such as Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and Burden of Lung Disease (BOLD) have highlighted the massive burden of COPD worldwide, and national and international programmes have been initiated in order to face this healthcare challenge. In the UK for example, a National Service Framework for COPD is being developed, scheduled for implementation in 2009. At clinical and academic conferences COPD is not as heavily covered as other public enemy diseases, such as heart disease or diabetes, but there are increasing opportunities for healthcare professionals to discuss and debate COPD-focused clinical research. At the first Clinical Consensus on COPD 2007 conference in London, over 900 healthcare professionals and clinical experts from 52 countries gathered to discuss the latest advances in managing the causes and clinical outcomes for COPD patients.2 The second running of this event will take place in London on March 21st–22nd 2009 and will incorporate the increased clinical knowledge of the intervening 2 years. Clinical Consensus on COPD 2009 is being produced in association with Respiratory Medicine: COPD Update, and is an opportunity to get to grips with the latest clinical research and best practice in both the primary and the secondary care setting. Designed by an advisory board of globally acknowledged opinion leaders in COPD, and delivered by a faculty of recognized experts, the multidisciplinary programme will
1745-0454/$ - see front matter doi:10.1016/j.rmedu.2008.08.003
4 (2008) 125– 126
tackle the most challenging aspects of clinical diagnosis, management and therapy of COPD. A series of state-of-theart plenary sessions will be accompanied by conference tracks and workshops that will look both at acute care and at out-of-hospital care, with the latest best-practice approaches to delivery of care in these settings. The Conference Chair will be Professor Wisia Wedzicha, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London. The content of the sessions on burden of disease will address the fact that COPD now affects men and women almost equally, due in part to increased tobacco use among women in high-income countries, and also due to the contribution of passive smoke inhalation, air pollution and occupational factors in the development of COPD. Mechanisms and manifestations of disease will be dissected in sessions that look critically at disease phenotypes in COPD, both in terms of clinical pathology and also biomarkers. Diagnosis and health status of patients is also an important part of how COPD is manifest in general practice, including a growing body of data on patient-reported outcomes. Acute exacerbation is always a critical part of any clinical discussion on COPD and the programme looks at new thinking as to management of these episodes, in terms of the timing and nature of clinical intervention. Of the few drugs available or in the pipeline, what and when is most effective and what is the latest thinking as regards non-drug management? Similarly, COPD is acknowledged to be a disease associated with comorbid syndromes. One can look at COPD as a lung disease at with system-wide impact or as a systemic disease with serious lung manifestations. Either way, the management of cardiometabolic, musculoskeletal and neuropsychological symptoms is now central to the management of COPD. Alongside high-quality clinical research, Clinical Consensus on COPD 2009 will also provide the opportunity to benefit
ARTICLE IN PRESS 126
R E S P I R AT O RY M E D I C I N E : C O P D U P DAT E
from workshops focused on key diagnostic and patient management tasks. Direct access to experts in spirometry, oxygen therapy, non-invasive ventilation and rehabilitation provides a tremendous learning opportunity, and will be bolstered by expert opinion in service delivery. Readers of Respiratory Medicine: COPD Update need no persuading as to the ongoing challenges of managing COPD in their patient community. To hear and share the mostrecent experience and clinical guidance from your peers in primary and secondary care, please join us at Clinical
4 (2008) 125– 126
Consensus on COPD in London in March 2009, for 2 days of outstanding lectures, seminars and workshops. R E F E R E N C E S
1. WHO Fact sheet No. 315, May 2008, /http://www.who.int/ mediacentre/factsheets/fs315S. 2. Brines R, Thorne M. Clinical consensus on COPD. Respiratory Medicine: COPD Update 2007;3:42–8.