International COPD guidelines, such as Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Reports, are updated from time to time when new clinical evidence becomes available, which helped move COPD management toward a more individualized medicine - matching patients' therapy closer to their actual needs. Relieving dyspnea and improving quality of life (QoL) remain the two major treatment goals for every COPD patient, with bronchodilators being the cornerstone of initial COPD treatment, according to the latest international guidelines recommendations. Dual therapy of long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) and long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) is particularly recommended for certain COPD patients based on the superior efficacy demonstrated in a number of clinical studies compared with LAMA monotherapy or LABA/inhaled corticosteroid (ICS). To minimize the risk from COPD treatment, GOLD Reports 2021 suggests the use of ICS be limited to patients with higher blood eosinophil counts and a history of exacerbations.

In this video, Professor Dave Singh of University of Manchester discussed the currently recommended approaches for managing dyspnea and improving quality of life among COPD patients with bronchodilators, particularly LAMA/LABA combination therapy. He also shared a clinical case who had benefited greatly from the latest COPD treatment recommendations by switching LABA/ICS to LAMA/LABA treatment.