Pharmacological approaches to stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes disabling, slowly progressive breathlessness on exertion, chronic cough and sputum production. Its natural history is punctuated by increasingly frequent exacerbations which in turn accelerate disease progression and reduce a patient's quality of life. COPD has previously been ignored in the mistaken belief that nothing could be done. There are now a number of therapies that can be used to reduce symptoms and prevent exacerbations. In turn this reduces disability, improves the patient's health-related quality of life and has the potential to reduce costs to the health service and to society.