What are the similarities and differences between asthma and COPD?

COPD and asthma are lung ailments. Asthma and
COPD can both give rise to similar symptoms, and are
sometimes treated with the same medicines. Both conditions
can lead to variable breathlessness, wheezy breathing,
coughing, and mucus production. Some medicines
prescribed for the treatment of asthma, such as inhaled β2
agonists, corticosteroid inhalers, and theophylline, for
example, are also used in COPD treatment. Asthma and
the conditions caused by COPD may also demonstrate a
similar pattern of abnormality on the pulmonary function
test called spirometry. That similar pattern of abnormality
is called obstructive dysfunction.
To a pulmonologist involved in direct patient care,
COPD and asthma are completely different. The single
most common cause of COPD is cigarette smoking.
COPD is a disease of mid- to late-adulthood. It is the
fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and
it is a significant cause of lifestyle limitation reflecting
its chronic and progressive nature. COPD affects different
sites in the lung than does asthma, involving both
the lung tissue and the airways. COPD’s obstructive
dysfunction on spirometry is “fixed” or “irreversible”.
 Asthma has a genetic basis
and is often seen in persons who also carry a diagnosis of
allergy. It affects all ages and is frequently diagnosed
in children. The diagnosis of asthma is compatible with
a long and full life and the prognosis is excellent. Asthma
targets the lung airways. By definition, the obstructive
dysfunction demonstrated on pulmonary function tests
in asthma is reversible such that lung function has the
potential to fully normalize.