International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Current insights and future trends for inhalation therapy in chronic obstructive respiratory disease

Current respiratory inhalers used by individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and/or asthma have been in use since the 1950s, though the practice of using an inhaler device to deliver therapeutic aerosols as a treatment has existed for a thousand years or longer. Having an aerosol formulation as opposed to an oral tablet that requires a device introduces complexity into the treatment regimen. That many patients have difficulty using inhalers in a manner that optimizes treatment is well-documented. Recent literature has begun to differentiate between critical and non-critical errors and how these errors may be associated with suboptimal outcomes, but gaps remain. This Article Collection contains original research and systematic review papers as well as opinion articles on current/future technology.