Dear Colleagues,

COPD is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by irreversible or partially reversible airflow limitation, and is a major cause of morbidity as well as mortality across the globe. Around 300 million people suffer from COPD across the globe. Several risk factors as well as several phenotypes and endotypes have been identified. GOLD guidelines form the cornerstone for the management of COPD, especially for primary care practitioners. However, there are several unanswered questions. For example, there is little information on why a significant proportion of the population exposed to the same risk factors are protected from developing COPD. Are there any biomarkers that can potentially identify future COPD subjects when there is no lung damage yet? One key biomarker is CC16; what is the value of CC16 in such a scenario? What are the future treatment options that can help to arrest disease progression? What is the role of biologics in the management of COPD and asthma–COPD overlap? How well have we understood COPD genetics, and have we obtained valuable information that could be of clinical value for the routine management of COPD patients? What are the lessons that we have learnt from the “omics” platforms (proteomics, metabolomics, genomics, metagenomics, and epigenomics) that can be translated from bench to bedside? What is the role of AI in the diagnosis and management of COPD? What public health initiatives are necessary to handle COPD well in LMIC countries where there is no access to advanced testing and treatment? How can a primary care practitioner diagnose COPD when there is no access to spirometry? What is the impact of ambient air pollution and indoor air pollution on the prevalence of COPD across the globe?

We have undoubtedly made great progress in the last few decades, but we still have a long way to go to reduce this huge public health problem, which is indeed reaching epidemic proportions. Remember, the burden of COPD seen currently is due to exposures 2–3 decades ago (smoking, biomass use, air pollution, and occupations). Since then, the number of people exposed to these risk factors have only increased, and the impact of the current burden of risk factors will only be realised in the next few decades.

It is our great pleasure to invite you to submit articles on the topic of COPD. This Special Issue, entitled “Global burden, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and novel therapeutics in COPD”, will cover all aspects of the epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiologic mechanisms, biomarkers, clinical investigations, treatment, prognosis, and natural history of COPD. I believe this would present an excellent opportunity to publish your hard work. Submissions, such as original articles or narrative/systematic reviews, are welcome. Please note that we do not accept case/brief reports.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Burden of COPD (national, subnational, or global estimates);
• Risk factors;
• Pathophysiologic mechanisms and pathology in COPD;
• Genomics in COPD;
• Metabolomics in COPD;
• Epigenetics in COPD;
• Metagenomics, gut microbiome, and lung microbiome in COPD;
• Biomarkers in COPD;
• Airway remodelling in COPD;
• Phenotypes and endotypes in COPD;
• Frequent exacerbators and disease progression in COPD;
• COPD comorbidities;
• Patient-reported outcomes;
• Health status or health-related quality of life;
• COPD and COVID-19 interactions;
• Artificial intelligence in COPD diagnosis.

Prof. Dr. Padukudru Anand Mahesh
Dr. Muhammad Adrish
Guest Editors

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