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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - Management
Basis for recommendation
This information is based on expert opinion in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline, Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults in primary and secondary care (partial update) [National Clinical Guideline Centre, 2010; NICE, 2010].
- The definition of an acute exacerbation is from NICE. However, NICE asserts that there is no agreed uniform definition.
- The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) defines an exacerbation of COPD as 'an event in the natural course of the disease characterized by a change in the patient's baseline dyspnoea, cough, and/or sputum that is beyond normal day-to-day variations, is acute in onset, and may warrant a change in regular medication' [GOLD, 2009].
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