Title:Asthma-COPD Overlap: A more Simplistic Approach
Volume: 17
Issue: 2
Author(s): Alexandru Corlateanu, Serghei Covantev*, Victor Botnaru, Silvia Dumitru and Olga Corlateanu
Affiliation:
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Chisinau,Moldova, Republic of
Keywords:
ACO, COPD, asthma, phenotype, comorbidities, bronchiectasis, OSAS.
Abstract: Obstructive pulmonary diseases are a group of respiratory conditions characterized by
airflow limitation. They are prevalent in the population and lead to significant morbidity and mortality.
The two most commonly encountered conditions are asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD). Although, for many years, the two conditions were regarded as separate, it
was realized that some patients may have an overlap between these illnesses. This observation led
to the identification of asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) syndrome. ACO is an umbrella term that is
used “to collectively describe patients who have persistent airflow limitation together with clinical
features that are consistent with both asthma and COPD”. Its importance in the field of respiratory
medicine is increasing every year as there are more data that underline the importance of its timely
diagnosis and management. The current review is a timely update of the advances in our understanding
of ACO.
