Digital health for COPD care: the current state of play

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a severe chronic disease, which affects over 170 million people and accounts for over 3 million deaths each year globally (1). People with COPD often experience persistent respiratory symptoms such as dyspnoea (shortness of breath). They are also vulnerable to episodic COPD exacerbations (an acute worsening of respiratory symptoms requiring a change in treatment), triggered by various factors such as air pollution and infections (2). Uncontrolled COPD exacerbations often cause an irreversible loss in lung function (3) and/or complications requiring medical treatment in a hospital