PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - C P Van Schayck
TI  - Diagnosis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in general practice.
DP  - 1996 Mar 01
TA  - British Journal of General Practice
PG  - 193--197
VI  - 46
IP  - 404
4099  - http://bjgp.org/content/46/404/193.short
4100  - http://bjgp.org/content/46/404/193.full
SO  - Br J Gen Pract1996 Mar 01; 46
AB  - There may be an overlap between the clinical pictures of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which hampers a clear distinction between the two diseases. Most symptoms presented by patients do not clearly belong exclusively to either asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. By the nature of their discipline and training, general practitioners focus mainly on symptoms presented, which do not give a decisive answer in the differential diagnosis between the two diseases. Therefore, general practitioners must rely on objective parameters, such as determining the presence and degree of reversibility of airway obstruction, diurnal peak flow variability, bronchial hyper-responsiveness and allergy. This paper puts forward a pragmatic, primary care definition of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.