Monaldi archives for chest disease = Archivio Monaldi per le malattie del torace / Fondazione clinica del lavoro, IRCCS [and] Istituto di clinica tisiologica e malattie apparato respiratorio, Università di Napoli, Secondo ateneo
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Data on the outcome of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are limited. We know that the prognosis is poor when respiratory insufficiency develops, but we have little information on the actual cause of death. Epidemiological studies are suitable for the assessment of the prevalence of the disease, but give no details on the actual cause of death. ⋯ Results from pivotal studies have been encouraging, although survival is far less impressive than in neuromuscular disorders. In patients with end-stage lung disease, lung transplantation can be considered the only possibility of increasing pulmonary functional capacity. However the technique is reserved only for a highly selected group of patients and data on the long-term outcome are awaited.