Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are clinically relevant events with therapeutic and prognostic implications. Yet, they are heterogeneous and can need different therapeutic strategies. In this Viewpoint, we propose an admittedly crude approach to a COPD exacerbation classification that might eventually help to define the most appropriate pharmacological treatment and clinical treatment setting for these patients. Our suggestion is to combine a pathobiological axis (biomarkers) to guide treatment decisions (use of antibiotics, steroids, or both) with a clinical axis (severity score) to decide the organisational context in whic...