Lt Col Freiler is a faculty member for the Allergy/Immunology Fellowship of the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, San Antonio, Texas.
References
Conclusion
Although there is no generally agreed term or defining features for ACOS, it is commonly recognized that a proportion of older patients who present with symptoms of chronic airway obstruction have features of both asthma and COPD. It is broadly recognized that distinguishing asthma from COPD can be problematic, particularly in smokers and the elderly. In addition, as these patients have frequent exacerbations, a poor QOL, a more rapid decline in lung function, and high mortality, identification of this subgroup is important. The lack of clinical trials to help guide therapeutic interventions in this syndrome is problematic as the extrapolation of data from asthma and/or COPD trials may not be applicable. Further studies in therapeutics for those with ACOS are warranted.
Author disclosures The author reports no actual or potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article.
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