Although X-ray is not the standard for definitive diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is a simple, non-invasive method that helps guide diagnosis, stage diagnosis, and especially helps distinguish signs of the disease from other diseases.

Advances in medical science are researching new therapies to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) such as shortness of breath, pneumonia and chronic cough. Some of these have been put into clinical use or are being tested for continued research on a large scale.