Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD: 2003 update.

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease(GOLD) programme was initiated in January 1997 to increaseawareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)and to decrease morbidity and mortality from this chroniclung disorder. One strategy to help achieve the objectives oftheGOLDprogramme is to provide healthcare workers, healthcareauthorities and the general public with state-of-the-artinformation about COPD and specific recommendations onthe most appropriate management and prevention strategies.The GOLD Workshop Report, Global Strategy for theDiagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD [1] waspublished in April 2001. It was prepared by a panel of expertsnominated by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute(NHLBI), National Institutes of Health and the WorldHealth Organization with the aim of providing the bestvalidated current concepts of COPD pathogenesis and thebest available evidence on the most appropriate managementand prevention strategies. In an effort to keep the GOLDWorkshop Report as up to date as possible, GOLD assembleda Scientific Committee whose aim was to review clinicalresearch that has an impact on COPD management. Theinitial review included publications that were published inJune 2000 (approximately the time of completion of the 2001report) through to March 2003. The results of the first 2 yrs ofactivity were posted on the GOLD website (www.goldcopd.com) in July 2003 [2]. Each year, a new update report will beposted. The GOLD Scientific Committee will also prepare arevision of the entire GOLD Workshop Report approximatelyevery 5 yrs. The process for the first complete revision(to appear in 2006) will be developed in the autumn of2003.