[Therapeutic goals and outcome measurements in COPD patients]

Due to the complex pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with systemic effects and different subjective perceptions, responses to therapy are difficult to assess. Though lung function tests correlate poorly with important features of the disease such as survival and quality of life, spirometric measures, especially forced expiratory volume (FEV(1)) and inspiratory capacity, the 6-min walk test, exacerbation indices, dyspnea scales and health status measurements remain important outcomes in clinical studies as well as in clinical practice. Markers of airway inflammation are receiving increased attention. The BODE index, combining functional and systemic outcomes, is a better predictor of mortality than FEV(1) and, therefore, particularly valuable.