Inhaled Long-acting Bronchodilators With or Without Inhaled Glucocorticosteroids for Preventing Hospitalizations and Death in Elderly Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

This will be a phase IV, open label, multicenter, randomized pragmatic study in frail elderly patients with COPD. Participants will be treated with either inhaled LABD alone or LABD combined with inhaled glucocorticosteroids. The main aim of the study is to assess whether, in elderly patients with COPD and one or more cardiac comorbidities (heart failure, and/or ischemic heart disease, and/or atrial fibrillation) recently hospitalized because of an acute exacerbation of COPD, 12 months treatment with LABD(s)+ICS can increase the time to first re-hospitalization (all cause) and/or death for any cause when compared with LABD(s) alone. Patients will be followed-up for 3 months after completion of the 12 month treatment period.