International journal of epidemiology
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Meta Analysis
Association between early history of asthma and COPD diagnosis in later life: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Whereas most studies have reported prior history/diagnosis of asthma as an independent risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) development in later life, no systematic review and meta-analysis has been conducted to synthesize these observational studies. The aim of this review is to investigate associations between prior history of asthma and later development of COPD. ⋯ Studies with high methodological quality provided sufficient evidence to suggest that individuals with previous history of asthma have an increasing likelihood of developing COPD in later life.