Key takeaways:

Length of stay was 1 day longer for those with asthma-COPD overlap vs. COPD or asthma alone and the cost was higher.

Those with overlap had the lowest proportion of patients who died during index admission.

Perspective from Brian Bizik, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA

The likelihood for mortality during hospitalization was increased among those with COPD or asthma vs. asthma-COPD overlap syndrome, according to results published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation .

However, patients with only one of the two diseases had fewer comorbidities, a shorter length of stay and lower health care costs vs. patients with asthma-COPD overlap, according to researchers.

“These findings suggest that patients with asthma-COPD overlap carry a higher disease

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