Lung obstruction generally refers to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The difference between COPD and asthma mainly includes the cause, symptoms, and age of onset.
1. Etiology: the cause of COPD is unknown, mostly due to smoking, long-term exposure to dust, long-term inhalation of chemicals and other external causes, but also may be the influence of genetic factors or their own airway reactivity increased and other reasons. The causes of asthma are mainly genetic factors and allergens, the prevalence of asthma patients’ relatives is higher than the prevalence of the group, and the common allergens are dust mites, pollen, drugs and so on.
2. Symptoms: COPD patients may have chronic cough, sputum, shortness of breath, dyspnea and other symptoms, and irreversible airflow limitation of lung function; asthma patients often have recurrent attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and/or coughing and other symptoms, mostly at night and in the early morning, exacerbated, and most of the patients can be relieved on their own or by treatment, and there is a reversible restriction of the expiratory flow of lung function.
3. Age of onset: COPD is most common in people over 40 years of age, while asthma can occur in all age groups.
In addition, COPD may sometimes coexist with bronchial asthma, which is difficult to distinguish. If a patient has any of the above diseases or related symptoms, it is recommended that he or she seek medical attention promptly.