Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma concur that they experience similar symptoms—including breathlessness, constricted breathing, fatigue, wheezing, and coughing. However, even if two conditions share similar symptoms, they’re often treated very differently.
For instance, asthma is considered a very controllable condition. In fact, many children with asthma outgrow or experience much fewer symptoms and asthma attacks in adulthood. Whereas COPD is deemed a progressive disease, which means it can gradually worsen with time. Although neither asthma and COPD are curable, in COPD patients specifically, any lungs damage done, can’t be repaired.
COPD vs. asthma treatments differ and overlap in the following ways:
- Avoiding triggers
The main advice given to COPD patients who smoke is to quit smoking immediately. While other triggers can cause COPD symptoms to worsen (i.e., campfire smoke, cleaning chemicals) doctors often place large priorities on butting out for good in order to prevent further lung damage. In regards to asthma patients, doctors tend to focus on avoidance of environmental triggers (i.e., grass, plant, and tree pollens, pet dander, etc.).
- Breathing medications
Inhaled corticosteroids as well as bronchodilators aim to reduce asthma and COPD symptoms while reducing muscle constrictions of the airways.
- Oxygen therapy
In addition to prescribed medications (i.e., bronchodilators), COPD patients are often recommended oxygen therapy in order to help restore adequate oxygen in the bloodstream. A particular oxygen therapy, known as pulmonary rehabilitation, can often improve lung volume and quality of life.
- Bronchial thermoplasty
In patients with very severe asthma, where medications don’t help, doctors may opt for bronchial thermoplasty, which is a leading edge surgery that burns off away layers of muscle tissues in the airway, to reduce constricted breathing and promote better oxygen flow.
- Surgeries
Surgery is often also a last resort for COPD patients. For instance, only in severe cases will doctors recommend a lung transplant of a lung volume reduction, which is a surgery to remove diseased, emphysematous lung tissue.
