Asthma and COPD: Similarities and Differences in the Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Therapy

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are two of the most common chronic lung diseases worldwide. Distinguishing between these different pulmonary diseases can be difficult in practice because of symptomatic similarities. A definitive diagnosis is essential for correct treatment. This review article presents the different symptoms of these two chronic inflammatory lung diseases following a selective search of the PubMed database for relevant literature published between 1996 and 2012. While cough occurs in both diseases, asthmatics often have a dry cough mainly at night, which is often associated with allergies. In contrast, COPD is usually caused by years of smoking. Paroxysmal dyspnea, which occurs in asthma, is characterized by shortness of breath, while in COPD it occurs during physical exertion in early stages and at rest in later stages of the disease. Asthma often begins in childhood or adolescence, whereas COPD occurs mainly in smokers in later life. It is possible to live with asthma into old age, whereas the life expectancy of patients with COPD is significantly limited. Currently, there is no general curative treatment for either disorder.