Management of COPD exacerbations in the community

Approximately 1.2 million people are living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is over 30% more than the previous estimations made by the Department of Health in 2011 (Department of Health, 2011; British Lung Foundation, 2022). COPD is the second most common lung disease in the UK, with asthma being the most prevalent. About 2% of the entire population, along with 4.5% of all people over the age of 40, are living with diagnosed COPD (British Lung Foundation 2022). The number of people diagnosed has increased sharply by 27% over the last decade from 1600, to almost 2000 per 100 000 people in the UK, and many cases may remain undiagnosed (British Lung Foundation, 2022). Currently, the UK is one of the 20 countries with the highest mortality rates for COPD globally, with only Denmark and Hungary having higher mortality rates than the UK in the entirety of Europe.