GOLD System
GOLD system, standing for Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, is one of the most commonly used methods to predict the life expectancy for people with COPD. It was created by a group of international lung health experts who often update and produce guidelines for healthcare providers. The method combines the symptoms of a person with spirometry function tests to make a prediction. The results can be categorized into four grades:
– GOLD 1: more than 80% predicted
– GOLD 2: 50% to 79% predicted
– GOLD 3: 30% to 49% predicted
– GOLD 4: less than 30% predicted
People in higher groups will have shorter life expectancies than those in lower groups. [2]
