Differences, Similiraties, and Controversies between Bronchial Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Review

Bronchial asthma (BA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are two major health problems whose incidence is increasing. Both are recognized as major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Never as now is better known the pathophysiology of both, as well as their inflammatory, cellular, and immunological profiles. It has powerful diagnostic, image, gasometric, functional, cellular, and immunological tools, as well as abundant basic, clinical, genetic, and therapeutic research. However, despite having international guidelines based on evidence, the responses to the treatments are sub-optimal in both. The definition of asthma states that it is inflammatory event. In BA the incidence of uncontrolled patients is high and in COPD, treatment with inhaled bronchodilators and glucocorticoids (IGCs) improves symptoms and quality of life but does not impact the deterioration in lung function or improve life expectancy. The problem is amplified by patients in which the two entities overlap, and this creates problems of diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, the research of new therapeutic tools (such as antioxidants, biological and those that impact the function of mitochondria) is vigorous. This chapter therefore aims to establish, as clearly as possible, the differences and similarities between BA and COPD to give the clinician a tool that brings him closer to a more precise diagnosis and a more rational treatment.