Globally, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of significant morbidity and mortality, and is now the third leading cause of death in the United States. Over the past 15 years there has been a surge of bench and translational research regarding the genetics and pathogenesis of COPD, and several large-scale clinical trials have introduced new treatment paradigms for COPD. Current research also demonstrates that COPD is not just a lung disease and that there are several potential extrapulmonary manifestations and comorbidities that should be evaluated and treated when one identifies an individual as having COPD.