A pilot study to test the feasibility of histological characterisation of asthma–COPD overlap. Issue 6 (6th June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Papakonstantinou, Eleni; Savic, Spasenjia; Siebeneichler, Aline; Strobel, Werner; Jones, Paul W.; Tamm, Michael; Stolz, Daiana
• Is Part Of: European respiratory journal. Volume 53:Issue 6(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-06-06
• Subjects: Respiratory organs -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Respiration -- Periodicals; 616.2
• DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01941-2018
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0903-1936

Abstract

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic respiratory diseases that share some common characteristics. Asthma is associated with airway hyperresponsiveness, airway inflammation and airflow limitation that is reversible [1]. COPD is characterised by persistent and progressive airflow limitation and airway inflammation [2]. In recent years, there has been an ongoing discussion of whether asthma and COPD are different diseases, since a significant proportion of patients with symptoms of obstructive lung disease has features of both asthma and COPD [3–5]. In this respect, the most clinically significant phenotypes are COPD patients with asthmatic features and asthmatic patients that smoke. These patients may necessitate different therapeutic approaches and, therefore, there is a great need for diagnostic criteria that would allow proper diagnosis and treatment [6, 7]. Histological analysis has been previously suggested as a tool to identify and understand overlapping clinical and physiological phenotypes, thereby helping to better design treatments and plan long-term management [8]. However, there are few studies that have examined the histological patterns of patients who may be characterised as having asthma–COPD overlap. This pilot study suggests that specific histopathological findings, such as thickening of reticular basement membrane in COPD patients, may reveal an overlapping COPD–asthma phenotype with higher response to ICS/LABA http://bit.ly/2Lb5sAW