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Observational Study
. 2017 Nov 2;18(1):183.
doi: 10.1186/s12931-017-0667-x.

Asthma-COPD overlap is not a homogeneous disorder: further supporting data

Luis Pérez-de-Llano  1   2 , Borja G Cosio  3   4 ; CHACOS study group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Observational Study

Asthma-COPD overlap is not a homogeneous disorder: further supporting data

Luis Pérez-de-Llano et al. Respir Res. .

Abstract

Asthma-COPD ovelap (ACO) is an umbrella term that encompasses patients with COPD and eosinophilic inflammation (e-COPD) and smoking asthmatics with non-fully reversible airflow obstruction (SA). We compared the clinical characteristics and the inflammatory profile of e-COPD and SA. Patients classified as e-COPD were older and more often male and showed significantly impaired pulmonary function (likely explained by a heavier smoking habit). On the contrary, SA had more atopic features, more reversibility of airflow obstruction and higher IgE levels. The concentrations of IL-5, IL-13, IL-8, IL-6, TNF-α, IL17 in serum were similar between the 2 groups. However, Th2-related biomarkers (periostin, FeNO and blood eosinophils) shower higher median values in e-COPD patients. Our findings reinforce the notion that ACO is a heterogeneous disorder and, as a consequence, it might be unacceptable to offer the same treatment for two related but different conditions.

Keywords: ACO; Asthma; Asthma-COPD overlap; COPD; Eosinophils; Periostin.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The data presented here were extracted from a cross-sectional, observational, multicenter study carried out in 23 out-patient clinics from tertiary hospitals in Spain run by expert respiratory physicians. All participants gave a signed informed consent. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Balearic Islands (Cod: IB2499/15). Additionally, an independent Ethics committee or institutional review board for each study centre approved the final protocol.

Consent for publication

A consent form will be be made available to the Editor if requested.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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