The International Symposium on Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease will take place on Thursday October 13th 2011, Pneumologie, Kantonsspital St. Gallen. COPD is a condition with many faces, significant morbidity, mortality and pitfalls. The aim of the symposium is to give an overview and state-of-the-art 2011 on the current understanding of risk factors, diagnostics and treatment of COPD. International experts in the field on different aspects of COPD have been invited. We also include discussions on current controversies - for example the role of antibiotics as well as the recent developments in the field of lung volume reduction techniques. Lessons from major trials as well as guidelines will be presented. Topics will have direct link with current clinical practice and include interesting case reports information