Pulmonary function tests sputum induction and bronchial provocation tests: diagnostic tools in the challenge of distinguishing asthma and COPD phenotypes in clinical practice

摘要

Background:Despite a number of important differences in the pathogenesis, course, and prognosis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have many features in common. Furthermore, smoking induces considerable overlap in pathogenesis and clinical features between these conditions. This study aimed to reveal what inflammatory patterns prevail in clinically established diagnosis groups, including overlap phenotypes of asthma and COPD, and to evaluate the correlation with airway reversibility and hyperreactivity in these overlapping conditions.