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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by significant disease heterogeneity. This heterogeneity suggests that various influences, including environmental and biological factors, probably contribute to the disease, but the validation of specific phenotypes has been problematic.
This article reviews differences in the presentation and progression of COPD in relation to environmental risk factors and comorbidities. The clustering of certain comorbidities in COPD could help to identify patients who share similar inflammatory pathways.
New research covering large patient populations with extensive clinical and biological characterization, and advanced analytical methods can expand the potential to identify COPD phenotypes and develop targeted therapies.
