GOLD 2023: Implications for primary care of patients with COPD in the UK

The publication of the 2023 GOLD Report Global Strategy for Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of COPD represents a shift in the global recommendations for how we should view, categorize and ultimately treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the UK. Perhaps the most significant change is the revision of the ABCD Assessment Tool. Groups C and D and are now conflated into a single group ‘E’ in recognition of the significant clinical relevance of exacerbations in driving disease progression, independent of the level of symptoms. LABA + LAMA therapy, with the addition of ICS if blood eosinophils are ≥300 cells/µL, is recommended for all patients in Group E, ideally in a single inhaler.

Listen to our recent podcast on exacerbations in COPD featuring Dr Fiona Mosgrove and Professor John Hurst.