A tale as old as time – the importance of accelerated lung aging in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Accelerated aging processes indicated by epigenetic and other biomarkers may be a promising avenue for early detection, prevention, and subsequent management of COPD. Understanding risk factors contributing to progressive lung function decline and implementation of mitigation strategies such as cessation of smoking, repurposing existing pharmacotherapeutics and development of novel therapies may slow age-related pathologies in COPD. [Figure: see text].