Question

Name 2 factors differentiating Asthma from a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Answer 1

Asthma :

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways which is often associated with episodes of breathlessness,wheezing,coughing and chest tightness.Various triggers including environmental factors,allergens,genetics trigger asthma.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD):

This is a condition characterized by chronic inflammation where the airflow to the lungs are limited or obstructed and are usually not completely reversible and the main etiological factor is smoking and inhalational exposure to various noxious gases.The two states of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Now,

Asthma and COPD can be differentiated in various ways which are summarized below :

FACTOR	ASTHMA	COPD
Symptom	Wheezing,chest tightness,cough with little sputum	Constant episodes of wet cough with more sputum
ABG	Normal between attacks	Abnormal
Spirometry	Normally reversible	Irreversible
Blood test	Increased Eosinophils	Increased neutrophils
Incidence	Any age	More then 35-40 years specially in smokers.
Chest Xray	Normal	Extensively inflated bronchioles.

Of the above mentioned the two main differentiating factors are associated with the symptoms and the spirometric changes:

a)Symptoms : The asthmatic patients does not show an increased production of sputum and the episodes normally occur in early morning or at nights whereas the COPD is characterized by over production of phlegm.

b) Spirometry: The FVC findings in asthma is normal and in COPD it is usually reduced and same is in the case of ABG.