Asthma, COPD, and the Overlap Syndrome
Asthma, COPD, and the Overlap Syndrome
Asthma and COPD are common obstructive airway diseases that represent a challenge to physicians in their diagnosis and management, with significant overlap in their clinical features, physiologic parameters, and airway inflammation (asthma-COPD overlap syndrome). Airway remodeling, a well-established feature in both diseases, may account for at least some of these reported similarities. The prevalence of overlap syndrome increases with age, making the distinction between asthma and COPD difficult and often imprecise in the elderly population. Table 1 summarizes some of the characteristic features of these 2 diseases.
Summary
Asthma and COPD are common obstructive airway diseases that represent a challenge to physicians in their diagnosis and management, with significant overlap in their clinical features, physiologic parameters, and airway inflammation (asthma-COPD overlap syndrome). Airway remodeling, a well-established feature in both diseases, may account for at least some of these reported similarities. The prevalence of overlap syndrome increases with age, making the distinction between asthma and COPD difficult and often imprecise in the elderly population. Table 1 summarizes some of the characteristic features of these 2 diseases.
Source...