Affecting 210 million people globally, of which 60 million with mild to severe disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) represents an important public health challenge: it is a major cause of chronic morbidity and mortality worldwide.

In hospital emergency services, care of COPD patients accounts for 2% of all patients attended, with 40% of such patients needing hospital admission. It is estimated that COPD patients present with a mean of 1 to 4 exacerbations annually, and that one out of six episodes will culminate in hospital admission. In the European Union, the disease related cost represent about 3% of the total healthcare budget.