New asthma resource for GPs

The National Asthma Council Australia and Lung Foundation Australia recently released a new evidence-based resource to assist with the diagnosis and management of patients with asthma-COPD overlap. This resource has been developed by an expert panel in light of the growing recognition of asthma-COPD overlap as a clinical entity and the growing evidence around its prevalence, diagnosis and treatment.

Dr Kerry Hancock, expert panel member and GP said: “Patients with asthma–COPD overlap should be identified and treated differently from people with COPD or asthma alone because they have more symptoms, more flare-ups, greater use of health services, and higher mortality than patients with either condition alone.”