Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and resource use
worldwide. The goal of this Official American Thoracic Society
(ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) Research Statement
is to describe evidence related to diagnosis, assessment,
and management; identify gaps in knowledge; and make
recommendations for future research. It is not intended to provide
clinical practice recommendations on COPD diagnosis and
management.