Summary: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common lung diseases characterized by airflow limitation through the respiratory tract due to bronchi and/or alveolar dysfunction. In 2019 COPD was the seventh most frequent cause of death in Poland, with a very high notification rate among older adults. In the article, actual knowledge on diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the disease is presented with a particular emphasis on the specificity of clinical problems emerging in the geriatric population.