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Understanding the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations on patient health and quality of life
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the third leading cause of mortality in 2016 and was responsible for an estimated 3 million deaths worldwide that year, representing a vast global problem [1]. COPD exacerbations are responsible for the majority of the substantial burden that COPD places on healthcare systems [2,3]. In the USA, the annual cost of COPD management has been shown to increase proportionally with the number of COPD exacerbations, with COPD-related costs, including pharmacy claims for COPD treatments, more than six times higher in patients experiencing frequent (≥2/year) exacerbations ($4361) compared with those who had none ($644) [4].
