Treating COPD — The TORCH Trial, P Values, and the Dodo

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Abstract
In the United States, the overall, age-standardized death rate decreased from 1242 deaths per 100,000 population in 1970 to 845 deaths per 100,000 in 2002. This good news must be viewed against the doubling during the same interval of the age-standardized death rate among persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),1 which makes COPD a major cause of death (Figure 1).COPD is the diagnostic term for a group of disorders that are characterized by respiratory symptoms — dyspnea, cough, and sputum production; airflow limitation; and chronic inflammation of the lung.2 Risk factors include exposure to a wide variety of . . .