GOLD Criteria for COPD
The GOLD classifications are the main method doctors use to describe the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
GOLD is short for the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization.
What Is GOLD Staging for COPD?
The GOLD staging system classifies people with COPD based on their degree of airflow limitation (obstruction). The airflow limitation is measured during pulmonary function tests (PFTs).
When blowing out forcefully, people with normal lungs can exhale most of the air in their lungs in one second. Pulmonary function tests measure this and other values, and are used to diagnose COPD and its severity:
The volume in a one-second forced exhalation is called the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), measured in liters.
The total exhaled breath is called the forced vital capacity (FVC), also measured in liters.
In people with normal lung function, FEV1 is at least 70% of FVC.
Because of lung damage, people with COPD take longer to blow air out. This impairment is called obstruction or airflow limitation. An FEV1 less than 70% of FVC can make the diagnosis of COPD in someone with compatible symptoms and history.
In GOLD, classifications are then used to describe the severity of the obstruction or airflow limitation. The worse a person's airflow limitation is, the lower their FEV1. As COPD progresses, FEV1 tends to decline. GOLD staging uses four categories of severity for COPD, based on the value of FEV1:
Stage I Mild COPD FEV1/FVC