Credit – Natali_Mis/Shutterstock Health inequalities in the UK are well documented. But few conditions expose their scale as clearly as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a serious, progressive lung disease affecting around 1.4 million people in the UK, with a further estimated two million living undiagnosed. 1 2 Yet its story is not simply one of clinical need. It is shaped by where people live, the air they breathe, the work they do, and the opportunities available to them. 3 Seen through this lens, respiratory health becomes more than a medical issue, it becomes a barometer of inequality, offering a clear and measurable way to understand how disadvantage is distributed across society.  Subscribe to the New Statesman for £1 a week There is a clear social gradient: people in more deprived areas are more likely to develop the disease earlier and experience worse outcomes.…