Early Diagnosis of COPD in a Smoking Cessation Unit

COPD is a preventable disease caused mainly by cigarette smoke. There is still an important number of smokers with airflow limitation who have never been diagnosed. Smoking cessation units are a good place to make the diagnosis of COPD, which at the same time could help to improve abstinence rates. We found a number of patients attending our clinic to quit smoking who fulfil criteria for a new diagnosis of COPD.