The Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD) Science Committee recently released a report on COVID-19 and COPD. The committee does a great job of providing timely, consensus-based recommendations for all things COPD. The new report is a long, comprehensive document. Our goal here will be to highlight a few areas of interest and provide a summary.
COPD is a chronic airway disease characterized by hypoxia, hypercapnia, and destruction of lung tissue. Given that COVID-19 is predominantly a respiratory disease that causes hypoxia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, there is concern that persons with COPD will be particularly vulnerable. The GOLD report concludes that data for patients with COPD being at increased risk for contracting COVID-19 are mixed, but they're confident that COPD is a risk factor for adverse outcomes with infection.
Face coverings are recommended, as they are for everyone, with the caveat that some data show that N95 masks can lead to elevated CO2 levels in patients with COPD in certain scenarios. Face shields and looser covers, such as surgical masks, should be fine.
With respect to treatment, the report could best be summarized as saying "do everything you normally would" — meaning that if a given therapy is indicated for COPD in the absence of COVID-19, it should still be used now.
