Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive chronic respiratory condition that affects the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. The term encompasses several lung conditions, the most common being chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD is associated with compromised health status and multiple comorbidities that reduce patients’ life expectancy. Therefore, the mortality rate of COPD is high [1] [2]. COPD is a serious and progressive disease that requires continuous management and medical care in order to prevent exacerbations. Currently, it cannot be cured, but it is preventable and treatable. Early diagnosis, treatments and lifestyle changes can help slow down the progression of the disease and improve the quality of life for those affected.

Despite being a preventable condition, COPD is the third cause of death worldwide [1] [3]. In the European Union, 3% of all deaths are caused by COPD, and it accounts for 6% of total EU healthcare spending (€38.6 billion annually) [4]. COPD places a significant burden on patients, their dear ones and on society as a whole. Notwithstanding all the actions taken by healthcare professionals and patients’ organisations to raise public awareness and inform policy makers about COPD, the gains made in COPD mortality in Europe are modest, compared to other chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases [5]. The stages of COPD severity are determined by the severity of the irreversible impairment of lung function. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classification is the most widely used staging system, it indicates the degree of functional impairment based on airflow limitation. The stages go from mild (Stage 1) to very severe (Stage 4). The current clinical classification proposed for the initiation of pharmacological management of COPD takes into account individual assessment of symptoms and exacerbations and blood eosinophil count and identifies three subgroups of patients, namely A) patients with few symptoms and no hospitalisation for exacerbation in the last year; B) highly symptomatic patients but without serious exacerbations in the last year; and E) patients with a recent history of moderate (2 or more) or severe exacerbations, regardless of the extent of respiratory symptoms. The correct classification of COPD is of paramount importance for clinical management. In fact, as COPD advances, symptoms like shortness of breath and coughing become more noticeable and more severe stages are characterised by increased respiratory distress and a higher risk of exacerbations.