Fifty Years of Progress in the Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Review of National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-Sponsored Studies.

Our understanding of the epidemiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including such metrics as incidence, prevalence, risk factors, outcome, and comorbidities has increased greatly over the past 50 years. Much of this increase is attributable to National Heart Blood and Lung Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored studies. This paper will review 13 of these key studies and their contribution to our understanding of COPD in the last half century.