COPD: Prioritizing Lung Health in Aging

For older adults, conversations around age-related illnesses are typically dominated by conditions affecting the heart and brain. Lung function is not often part of regular health assessments, despite clear links between the respiratory system and age-related conditions like elevated blood pressure and cognitive decline. One of the most obvious links to deteriorating lung health is respiratory illness, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Affecting millions of people worldwide, including both non- and former smokers, COPD causes a progressive loss in lung function that is often irreversible, making it difficult to breathe.¹ Since healthy lungs are critical for numerous other bodily functions, it’s not surprising that people living with COPD have a significantly higher risk for other serious health problems, turning a respiratory issue into a complex, multi-faceted burden, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

But the burden also falls on societies, with the global impact of COPD expected to increase as the aging population worldwide continues to grow. In fact, COPD prevalence is expected to reach 600 million cases globally by 2050.²

Despite this, COPD remains under-recognized and underprioritized, with the general public remaining unaware of the nature of the condition and its impact. In a recent global survey only about half of the population were able to correctly identify COPD as a lung condition.¹ Moreover, in 2024, COPD research received less than two percent of the funding that cancer received, according to the National Institutes of Health.³      

To alleviate this rising issue, regular lung function testing needs to be integrated into routine health visits to become a core pillar of preventative care, especially for older adults. In people at risk of COPD, regular lung function testing to diagnose the condition can also help identify and track progress on individuals who are more vulnerable to worse outcomes.

According to Lilya Maya Ziad, Global Medical Head Alliance Immunology at Sanofi, positioning lung health at the center of the healthy aging conversation is key. “The global burden of COPD is a call to action. Prioritizing respiratory health within the healthy aging conversation is a critical aspect to effectively addressing the ever-increasing burden of COPD that is impacting both individuals and society as a whole. And now is the time to act, as recent advances in the treatment landscape are finally giving patients more options to address their unique needs.”

With lung health gaining greater recognition as a global health priority, policy reforms are needed to ensure that people living with COPD benefit from earlier diagnosis, timely intervention and high-quality long-term care. The WHO's Integrated Lung Health Resolution marks an important milestone by calling on Member States to strengthen prevention, early diagnosis and integrated management of chronic respiratory diseases, including COPD, helping to elevate lung health as a public health and policy priority.

Prioritizing lung health can help reduce the development of serious chronic respiratory diseases like COPD, as well as overall disease burden for older adults. Placing respiratory function as a central part of the healthy aging conversation starts with clearing the air on the state of lung health today. Sanofi is committed to elevating the importance of lung health to ensure every person has the chance to age with resilience. Together let’s lessen the global burden of COPD and make lung function a key part of the healthy aging conversation.