Summary: The latest and most important guidelines for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are based not only on the increasingly newer recommendations and levels of reliability of scientific data, but most of all on clinical observations of practitioners. The current update includes several changes and expert amendments that are very important from a practical point of view. Current GOLD recommendations draw our attention to the modified definition of COPD, the classification principles of patients, an individualized approach to patient therapy, new aspects in the intensity of pharmacological treatment and cooperation between patients and the treating physician.