Evaluating Treatable Traits Across the Spectrum of Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease

Respiratory disease affects one in five people and is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Chronic obstructive airways diseases encompass conditions characterised by expiratory airflow limitation, exertional dyspnoea, activity limitation and impaired quality of life. The most common conditions include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia. In recent years, there has been concerted effort in the scientific and respiratory medicine community to improve the diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive airways diseases using personalised or precision medicine (i.e., tailoring therapies and interventions according to specific "treatable traits") and identifying phenotypes or endotypes using validated biomarkers. To date, however, research in this setting has primarily focussed on people with COPD and asthma, with limited studies in other forms of chronic obstructive airways diseases. The aim of this study is therefore two-fold; first, to compare pulmonary physiology (i.e., large and small airway involvement) and extra-pulmonary manifestations across the spectrum of chronic obstructive airways, and second, to determine how disease-specific treatable traits associate with physical activity and health-related quality of life.