COPD Exacerbations: A Patient and Physician’s Perspective

This dual-perspective article provides one impacted individual’s experience with COPD exacerbations as well as impressions of a respiratory physician. John Linnell, the patient author and a COPD Foundation state captain, shares his early disease experience and its progression, which for some time did not include severe flare-ups. He walks the reader through the process by which he proactively recognizes and addresses symptoms that may signal an exacerbation and the importance of the partnership he maintains with his healthcare team. The physician stresses the importance of having a plan for addressing exacerbations should symptoms worsen. The brief article closes with a joint call to action: to diagnose COPD earlier so that we may do all we can to slow progression; the importance of an improved understanding of exacerbations by all persons involved and the adoption of a formal action plan; a focus on flare-up prevention and adherence to evidence-based recommendations; and the value of a true patient-healthcare professional partnership. The brief article will not only be of value to healthcare professionals but also impacted individuals and family members interested in the tips and thoughts of two individuals with very different roles but united viewpoints on AECOPD.