COPD Gold Classification: What’s in a name?

COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, ranks as the third leading cause of death globally and the seventh leading cause of poor health. Accurately classifying the disease stage is essential for effective management of patients with COPD. While the medical community currently utilizes the GOLD system, one must ask: is the GOLD system truly the GOLD standard? Could we potentially develop a more effective classification system?

The GOLD classification for COPD refers to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, the organization responsible for publishing international guidelines for the care of COPD. Physicians globally rely on these guidelines to determine the most effective treatment and management strategies for their patients with COPD. Recently, a new classification has emerged: the STAR classification system, or Staging Airflow Obstruction by Ratio. Developed roughly a year ago, this system has generated significant interest within the respiratory community.

Learn more about these two classifications from our EUFOREA News Show interviewees Professor Therese Lapperre, Associate Professor in the Department for Translational Research in Immunology and Inflammation at the University of Antwerp, and Dr Xander Bertels, EUFOREA Patient Advisory Board and Advocacy Manager.