Published on April 21, 2020

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a respiratory illness that affects millions of people all over the world. It is a major cause of chronic morbidity and mortality and a serious global public health problem. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. Although the environmental causes of COPD which predominantly include cigarette smoking are well-documented, to this date the genetic underpinnings of COPD remain largely unknown. Furthermore in the current landscape of a respiratory pandemic, COPD patients are at a much higher risk for developing other respiratory illnesses and co-morbidities. In this study we use genomic data from case-control based cohorts to study the genetic patterns and profiles of patients with this illness in order to identify key genetic factors and thereby gain a deeper understanding of the disease.