Airway disease: similarities and differences between asthma, COPD and bronchiectasis

Services on Demand

Article

• pdf in English
• Article in xml format
• Article references
• How to cite this article
• Automatic translation
• Send this article by e-mail

Indicators

Related links

Bookmark

• Share on deliciousShare on googleShare on twitterShare on diggShare on citeulikeShare on connotea|More Sharing ServicesMore

---

• Permalink

Clinics

Print version ISSN 1807-5932

Clinics vol.67 no.11 São Paulo Nov. 2012

http://dx.doi.org/10.6061/clinics/2012(11)19 

REVIEW

Airway disease: similarities and differences between asthma, COPD and bronchiectasis

Rodrigo Athanazio

Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Heart Institute (InCor), Pulmonary Division, São Paulo/SP, Brazil

---

ABSTRACT

Airway diseases are highly prevalent worldwide; however, the prevalence of these diseases is underestimated. Although these diseases present several common characteristics, they have different clinical outcomes. The differentiation between asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiectasis in the early stage of disease is extremely important for the adoption of appropriate therapeutic measures. However, because of the high prevalence of these diseases and the common pathophysiological pathways, some patients with different diseases may present with similar symptoms. The objective of this review is to highlight the similarities and differences between these diseases in terms of the risk factors, pathophysiology, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: Asthma; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Bronchiectasis.

---