Niwa M, et al. - Researchers investigated the structural difference in the airway between asthma and asthma- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) overlap (ACO) using multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) in patients with clinical asthma. They allocated 64 patients with asthma to an asthma group (neversmokers and ex-smokers with a smoking history of <10 pack-years) or an ACO group (patients with a ≥10-pack-year smoking history and FEV1(forced expiratory volume in 1 second)/ FVC (forced vital capacity) <0.7). Compared to patients with asthma, those with ACO showed a thicker airway wall. This suggests more prominent airway remodeling in ACO than in asthma.