[Prevention of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]

Acute exacerbation is an important event in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is now known that acute exacerbations can negatively affect patients' quality of life and natural course of COPD, leading to heavy burden of society and economy. Preventive measures are very important for acute exacerbations of COPD. Long-acting bronchodilators, inhaled corticosteroids, phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, theophylline, antioxidants, immunomodulators, macrolides, and vaccine have been demonstrated to be efficient in prevention of COPD development. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as rehabilitation, long-term oxygen therapy, and non-invasive ventilation, are also useful strategies to prevent the acute exacerbations in patients with COPD.