Going for GOLD: Updated COPD Guidelines with Gerard Criner, MD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a major public health challenge, affecting over 14 million adults in the U.S.—with many more likely undiagnosed—and ranking as the sixth leading cause of death nationally and fourth globally. As of 2024, more than half of diagnosed U.S. patients are women, with higher prevalence seen in rural areas, and while tobacco smoking accounts for over 70% of COPD cases in high-income countries, household air pollution and occupational exposures drive a significant burden worldwide.

Earlier this year, the GOLD (Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease) guidelines, developed by a global panel of leading experts, were updated to optimize COPD diagnosis, management, and care strategies in clinical practice, including new emphases on cardiovascular disease and pulmonary hypertension in COPD.

Returning for another episode of Lungcast is Gerard Criner, MD, of Temple University, a foremost COPD expert who serves on the GOLD Board of Directors and GOLD Science Committee. In this episode, he outlines the improvements to the guidelines, from interventions like smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation to the heightened importance of spirometry for diagnosis.

"The major goal of of gold is basically distill whatever information we have from clinical trials and the best epidemiologic path of physiologic evidence that we have, and make it clinically relevant for someone who's seeing patients [so] that they can adopt those recommendations," Criner said.

Lungcast is a monthly respiratory news podcast series hosted by Albert Rizzo, MD, chief medical officer of the ALA, and produced by HCPLive.

Subscribe to Lungcast on Spotify here, or listen to the episode below.