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Purchase Pdf A$21.99Abstract
The treatments of COPD and asthma were previously centred on symptom relief using bronchodilators. Increased understanding of the two conditions has led to therapy becoming much more condition-specific, and the two conditions should be differentiated to enable best treatment.
Key Points
- COPD and asthma are common and often underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed in adults.
- The symptoms of COPD develop slowly and may be attributed to ageing or other causes.
- It is important to differentiate between COPD and asthma because the treatment approaches differ.
- Spirometry is an underused resource that supplements good history taking in distinguishing between the conditions.
- The various drugs used to relieve the symptoms of asthma and COPD are not equally effective in the two conditions.
