Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease predominantly affecting the older population. Not well known, COPD is often confused with asthma. Tobacco smoking is widely acknowledged as the most important risk factor for COPD, but occupational exposures from irritant dust, fumes, and biomass exposures, from the burning of wood and coal in indoor fires, also contribute to COPD prevalence.

This paper gives an update on pulmonary hypertensive diseases which are a challenge to treat.