A Case of Asthma COPD Overlap

ABSTRACT

Asthma and COPD are the pulmonary diseases most frequently encountered in clinical practice. Usually, each disease is caused by a different etiology and shows a different clinical picture and course. However, these two diseases sometime present within the same patient, and it is now recognized that asthma and COPD can coexist as asthma COPD overlap (ACO), which is clinically important for several reasons. First, it is estimated that the number of patients with ACO will increase significantly together with the recent increase in numbers of patients with asthma and COPD. Secondly, patients with ACO are prone to experience more frequent and severe exacerbations. Patients who have asthma with a COPD component tend to present with severe hypoxia because of Irreversible/fixed airway obstruction and impairment of the alveolar diffusion capacity by emphysematous changes. In contrast, patients with COPD who have an asthma component not only have exertional dyspnea but also develop paroxysmal wheezing or dyspnea at night or in the early morning. Here we report a case of 60 yr old male diagnosed as a case of asthma COPD overlap.