Treatable Trait Concept in the Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous condition with multiple clinical expressions and pathophysiological linkages. Based on this, many phenotypes and endotypes were identified. Phenotypes were defined by identifying the clinical expression of the disease, and endotypes by studying the physiological mechanisms behind the disease. This approach is complicated because one endotype gives rise to one or more clinical characteristics, and clinical phenotypes can be derived from several endotypes. Recently, a new classification of COPD has been proposed based on etiotypes. Etiotype-based management also prevents problems because of the overlap of different conditions. In this context, it is appropriate to identify treatable traits and manage them accordingly.