“Chronic airflow obstruction (CAO) is a chronic lung condition that interferes with normal breathing. For the purpose of this briefing, CAO includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis and emphysema. CAO is responsible for a substantial amount of early deaths, reduced quality of life and significant costs to the health and social care system and to the economy. 

The World Health Organization estimates that COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide1 and predicts that it will soon become the third leading cause of death. The IPH has systematically estimated and forecast the prevalence of CAO on the island of Ireland.”