The General Practitioner (GP)

Abstract

In recent years there has been a constant and gradual increase in respiratory diseases involving severe repercussions in terms of human, healthcare and economic costs. In particular, chronic obstructive diseases, and especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are among the main causes of compromized respiratory function, which often leads to respiratory insufficiency. Despite improved knowledge of the etiopathogenetic mechanisms of these diseases and the availability of many drugs and other forms of highly effective treatment nowadays, such as rehabilitation therapy, we unfortunately still do not have the means of stopping the slow but inevitable decline of the disease with any certainty. Even today the only two methods shown to be capable of prolonging life in patients with COPD are smoking cessation and long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) [1–3], even though it is still not clear how oxygen produces this beneficial effect.