Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects over 10% of the adult population worldwide and is currently projected to become the third leading cause of death by year 2030 [1]. We believe, COPD should be viewed as a multisystem disorder with clearly identified extra-pulmonary manifestations including weight loss, myopathy, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, malignancies, bone mineral disease and psychological disorders. Most of these comorbidities are also important not only to understand the burden of this progressive disease, but also to devise effective therapeutic strategies [2]. This article reviews the current understanding of the systemic manifestations of COPD, which includes everything except airflow obstruction, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. For colleagues interested in reviewing the main component of COPD therapy, we urge to review an excellent article published in American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine volume 187, page 337- 365, Feb 15, 2013.
Keywords: Airflow obstruction, chronic bronchitis, COPD, pneumonia, pulmonary disease, pulmonary venous thrombo-embolism.
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