Asthma-Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Overlap in Spain: Anything Special?
Borja Cosio 1, Luis Pérez de Llano 2
1 Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hospital Universitario Son Espases-IdISBa, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; and CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid; 2 Servicio de Neumología, Hospital Universitario de Lucus Augusti, EOXI Lugo, Monforte, Spain
*Correspondence: Borja Cosio, Email not available
Abstract
The asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap (ACO) has recently attracted attention and triggered debate as evidenced by the proliferation of articles, reviews and editorials dedicated to this topic. Most of this debate is based on the lack of a consistent definition and the scarce knowledge of its underlying mechanisms. Spain has been very active in pursuing a better understanding of this topic and in developing a clearer definition to help clinicians identify and treat this condition correctly. This paper reviews the current evidence supporting its existence and the latest findings related to its mechanisms and it points out the limitations of using the classic labels to classify chronic airways diseases.
