Early identification is a priority if the debilitating, disabling, life shortening and expensive consequences of severe COPD are to be avoided.
No association studies in COPD have been reported which used family-based controls, a study design which is immune to such population stratification effects.
In this age group, young enough to make the diagnosis of COPD unlikely, the principal cause of wheeze with breathlessness is asthma.
This condition enlarges the air spaces in the lungs and is responsible for causing damage to them.Cigarette smoking also causes Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
In patients with asthma or COPD a lesser degree of systemic exposure to inhaled fluticasone propionate has been observed.
