Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma may resemble each other clinically. They often can be distinguished by clinical findings but both can occur in the same patient.
Finding
COPD
Asthma
onset
middle age or older (> 35 years)
childhood, adolescent or young adult
history of smoking
long term and often moderate to heavy use
usually negative or short term
dyspnea
during exertion
following exposure to triggering agent
airflow limitation
largely irreversible
largely reversible
symptom severity
slowly progressive
vary from day to day
symptoms at night
uncommon
awaken with breathlessness
history of significant allergies
often absent
often present
family history of asthma
often absent
may be present
chronic cough with sputum production
common
intermittent cough with little sputum
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