Recent research has identified 8 genetic signals associated with the overlap of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), suggesting there is a spectrum of genetic influences that predispose some people to have symptoms of both conditions. The findings of the research by Dr Catherine John and colleagues at the University of Leicester, and published in CHEST,  said that the patients with asthma and COPD overlap end up with significantly worse outcomes than do patients with one disease or the other. The research analysed 8,068 people with asthma and COPD overlap and more than 40,000 controls without either asthma or COPD to find these novel genetic signals which were associated with the overlap.