Evidence-based On-call

internal medicine

Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Prevalence
Clinical features
Differential Diagnosis
Investigations
Therapy
Prevention
Prognosis

Prevention

Consider mucolytics ^a

Why?

Oral mucolytics reduce exacerbations (on average one fewer a year) and days of sickness (on average 7 a year) ^a

Expiry date: July 2003
Levels of Evidence used in grading these guides

Author	CM Ball
Reviewer	N R Anthonisen
CAT Writers	B Phillips , CJ Wotton , CM Ball