Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive lung disease affects over 15 million people in the United States. The management of this disease in patients is complex, involving antibiotics, mucolytics, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and rehabilitation. Several studies investigating controversial areas of management were published in 1993 and 1994. New developments in pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, noninvasive ventilation, corticosteroids, bronchodilators, vasodilators for pulmonary hypertension, lung transplantation, lung surgery for bullae, and alpha-1-antitrypsin replacement therapy provide physicians with exciting new opportunities for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.