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The Physiology of Asthma-Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Overlap
David A Kaminsky1, Charles G Irvin2
1Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Given D213, 89 Beaumont Avenue, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
Abstract:
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both characterized by airway obstruction and share similar clinical manifestations. However, they differ in many respects related to underlying cause, mechanism of airway obstruction, pattern and progression of symptoms, and response to therapy. It remains unclear whether there is a unique physiologic phenotype that characterizes asthma-COPD overlap (ACO). This review describes the common and distinct physiologic tests that help define asthma and COPD and potentially how they may contribute to understanding the underlying physiology of ACO.
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