Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute exacerbation, unspecified

An exacerbation of COPD is an acute event characterised by a worsening of the patient’s respiratory symptoms that is beyond normal day-to-day variations and leads to a change in medication. Exacerbations of COPD can be precipitated by several factors. The most common causes appear to be viral upper respiratory tract infections and infection of the tracheobronchial tree. The diagnosis of an exacerbation relies exclusively on the clinical presentation of the patient complaining of an acute change of symptoms (baseline dyspnoea, cough, and/or sputum production) that is beyond normal day-to-day variation.