Abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) are a potentially fatal, slowly progressive respiratory disease. In contrast to Asthma, COPD is characterized by air flow obstruction that is not fully reversible. The signs and symptoms are chronic cough, excessive mucus production, wheezing and shortness of breath after mild exertion. In the USA, COPD affects more than 15 million people, with the majority of the patients being over the age of 50 years and current or past smokers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) about 600 million people suffer from COPD although many are undiagnosed.