Asthma-COPD Overlap (ACO) PRO-CON Debate. ACO: Call Me by My Name

Burden of asthma and COPD overlap (ACO) in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study

BACKGROUND Patients with symptoms of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be classified with the term asthma-COPD overlap (ACO). ACO is of considerable interest as it is currently poorly characterised and has been associated with worse health outcomes and higher healthcare costs compared with COPD or asthma alone. Patients with ACO in Asia remain poorly described, an...

Plasma YKL-40 and NGAL are useful in distinguishing ACO from asthma and COPD

BACKGROUND Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) overlap (ACO) is characterized by the coexistence of features of both asthma and COPD and is associated with rapid progress and a poor prognosis. Thus, the early recognition of ACO is crucial. OBJECTIVES We sought to explore the plasma levels of biomarkers associated with asthma (periostin, TSLP and YKL-40), COPD (NGAL) and their...

Investigating fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma–COPD overlap (ACO): a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION During the last decade, many articles have been published, including reviews on fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) use and utility in clinical practice and for monitoring and identifying eosinophilic airway inflammation, especially in asthma, and evaluating corticosteroid responsiveness. However, the exact role of FeNO in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COP...

Pirfenidone for IPF: pro/con debate; the 'con' viewpoint.

Improving outcomes for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains a major unmet healthcare need— in this, we entirely agree with the ‘pro’ debate article by Gisli Jenkins. In this regard, the efforts of drug companies in developing novel drugs and collaboration with expert clinical investigators in the field of IPF in wanting to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy for patients w...

Debate: Collaborative Environmental Law: Pro and Con