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Review
. 2020 Aug 20;30(1):36.
doi: 10.1038/s41533-020-00194-9.

Impact of comorbid conditions on asthmatic adults and children

Alan Kaplan  1 , Stanley J Szefler  2 , David M G Halpin  3
Affiliations
Review

Impact of comorbid conditions on asthmatic adults and children

Alan Kaplan et al. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. .

Abstract

Comorbid conditions (comorbidities) can complicate the diagnosis and management of asthma. In different age groups, comorbid conditions can present varying challenges, including diagnostic confusion due to mimicking asthma symptoms, exacerbation of asthma symptoms, therapy for comorbid conditions affecting asthma or therapy for asthma affecting these conditions. This review aims to summarise some common comorbid conditions with asthma, such as rhinitis, vocal cord dysfunction, gastro-oesophageal reflux, psychiatric disorders, obesity and obstructive sleep apnoea, and discuss their prevalence, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, highlighting any differences in how they impact children and adults. Overall, there is a lack of data on the impact of treating comorbid conditions on asthma outcomes and further studies are needed to guide age-appropriate asthma management in the presence of these conditions.

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Conflict of interest statement

A.K. reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, Behring, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Griffols, Teva, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Paladdin, Pfizer, Purdue, Sanofi and Trudel, outside the submitted work. D.M.G.H. reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, Chiesi and Pfizer and grants and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, outside the submitted work. S.J.S. reports fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Propeller Health, Regeneron and Sanofi, outside the submitted work all paid to the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Interplay between comorbid conditions and aspects of asthma in adults and children.
The comorbidities described in the figure, if present in the patient, may complicate the diagnosis of asthma. When seeking to achieve effective asthma management, it is important to address comorbidities. GERD gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, OSA obstructive sleep apnoea, VCD vocal cord dysfunction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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