What is the difference between asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

  Bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have many similarities, such as both manifesting as cough, shortness of breath, and dyspnea, but bronchial asthma is an allergic disease that is usually easy to develop in adolescents, while chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is closely related to smoking and the inhalation of harmful gases and particles, and tends to develop in middle-aged and elderly people, although middle-aged and elderly people also have asthma.  Both asthma and slow-onset lung are chronic inflammatory diseases, but the infiltration of inflammatory cells and inflammatory substances differ greatly between the two. The changes in airway structure associated with them are also different. Asthma manifests as smooth muscle hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the large airways, whereas slow-onset lung manifests as emphysema, thickening of the airway walls, and mucus overproduction. In terms of treatment, asthma emphasizes environmental factors and allergens, while slow-onset lung emphasizes smoking cessation and avoidance of harmful gas inhalation, but both require long-term standardized treatment. For example, long-term inhaled hormone therapy is preferred for asthma, while long-acting bronchodilators are preferred for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.