Presentation: Atopic characteristics of patients with asthma-COPD overlap syndrome ( World Allergy Congress)

Friday, 16 October 2015

Hall D1 Foyer (Floor 3) (Coex Convention Center)

Ji Young Yhi, MD , Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Seok Hyun Cho, MD, PhD , Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Dong Won Park, MD , Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Ji-Yong Moon, MD , Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Sang-Heon Kim, MD , Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Tae Hyung Kim, MD , Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Jang Won Sohn, MD , Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Dong Ho Shin, MD , Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Ho Joo Yoon, MD , Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Background: While the diagnostic criteria for asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) is lacking, it is often perceived to share both characteristics of asthma and COPD. However, the atopic characteristics of ACOS has not been well described. We aimed to assess the atopy-related characteristics of ACOS in comparison with COPD.

Methods: In this retrospective study, ACOS was defined as physician-diagnosed cases and both ACOS and COPD met the spirometric standards (FEV₁/FVC <0.7). We compared the clinical characteristics of atopy between ACOS and COPD.

Results: We enrolled the patients with physician-diagnosed ACOS (n = 207) and COPD (n = 258) from the medical records in a university hospital. The patients with ACOS had younger age and lower FEV₁ than COPD patients. With regard to skin prick test (SPT) responses, the overall positive rate was higher in ACOS than in COPD (22.3% vs. 14.3%, P = 0.027). However, the positive SPT responses to each allergen were not different between ACOS and COPD. In addition, there was no significant difference in levels of peripheral blood eosinophil percentage and total IgE.

Conclusions: In conclusion, SPT positivity was higher in ACOS, but the other features of atopy were not different between ACOS and COPD. In the diagnosis of ACOS from COPD, SPT positivity needs to be considered as an important clinical feature.

3017 Atopic characteristics of patients with asthma-COPD overlap syndrome