If a person presents with atypical features of asthma, then alternative diagnoses should be considered. It is important to ensure a person has a firm diagnosis of asthma prior to making treatment recommendations, as people may present with respiratory symptoms following campaigns such as Public Health England’s ‘Be Clear on Cancer’. Differential diagnoses include rhinitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, cardiac failure, pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, bronchiectasis and lung cancer. 

It is recognised that for some patients, the distinction between a diagnosis of asthma and COPD is not clear. Asthma-COPD overlap is identified by the features of both asthma and COPD and includes patients with a number of different forms of disease caused by a range of mechanisms.

The report Diagnosis and initial treatment of asthma, COPD and asthma-COPD overlap, a joint project of GINA and GOLD, details the diagnosis and management of asthma-COPD overlap, but recognises that further study of the mechanism and treatment is required.

Once you've completed this module, move onto:
Part two: Managing asthma
But be sure to click next to complete this module first.