What is the difference between COPD and asthma?

Asthma and COPD are both chronic diseases with many similarities, such as coughing and wheezing, but there are also many differences. First of all, the two are different in terms of etiology, but it is not difficult for many patients to distinguish them well. So, what is the difference between COPD and asthma? The editor will explain it to you now, hoping it can help you distinguish them.

Bronchial asthma is an allergic disease that usually occurs in adolescence; COPD is closely related to smoking and inhalation of harmful gases and particles, and often occurs in middle-aged and elderly people. In addition, it is not uncommon for middle-aged and elderly COPD patients to have asthma.

There are great differences in the infiltration of inflammatory cells and inflammatory substances between the two, and the related changes in airway structure are also different. Asthma is characterized by smooth muscle hyperplasia and thickening of the large airways, while COPD is characterized by emphysema, thickening of the airway walls, and excessive mucus secretion. In terms of treatment, asthma control emphasizes environmental and allergen issues, with inhaled hormone therapy as the main treatment; treatment of COPD emphasizes smoking cessation, avoiding the inhalation of harmful gases, and advocating the use of long-acting bronchodilators. Both diseases require long-term standardized treatment, and some of the drugs used in the treatment are the same, such as antiasthmatic drugs, bronchodilators, etc.

The definition of COPD and new understanding of asthma increasingly make people feel that COPD is similar to chronic persistent asthma. Some patients with asthma may have mixed or irreversible airflow obstruction, so it is not possible to clearly distinguish asthma, in which airflow obstruction is not fully reversible, from chronic bronchitis and emphysema, in which airflow obstruction is partially reversible.

However, there are many differences between COPD and asthma, the most important of which are: ① Asthma develops earlier, with many cases developing the disease in infancy, while COPD usually develops after middle age, and the vast majority of patients are smokers or people who are exposed to harmful gases or particles. Moreover, after entering old age, most symptoms are very typical and lung function is significantly impaired; ② Asthma is obviously familial, reflecting that asthma is closely related to genetic genes. Although COPD also has a familial distribution phenomenon, it is mostly related to the same smoking habit or environment, and it is difficult to explain it by genetic susceptibility; ③ Most asthma patients have other allergic diseases, especially allergic rhinitis (commonly known as allergic rhinitis) and dermatitis (such as eczema), while the probability of COPD patients having these allergic diseases is much lower; ④ Airway provocation tests and relaxation tests show that the bronchi of asthma patients have significant contractility and relaxability, while COPD patients usually have weak responses to these tests.

Asthma is relatively common, not particularly severe, and is seasonal. The symptoms can be relieved through treatment, but COPD is very serious and many people die from this disease every year, so everyone must pay attention to it. Patients need to pay attention to eating a light diet, not eating too much sweets, eating warm food, and chewing slowly.