The Impact of Extreme Heat Waves and Air Pollution on the Prognosis of Chronic Airway Diseases

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years * Provision of written informed consent For the asthma group: \- Diagnosis of asthma for at least 6 months according to the GINA 2024 guidelines Variable respiratory symptoms together with documented variable expiratory airflow limitation, demonstrated by at least one of the following: * Positive bronchodilator reversibility test (\>12% and \>200 mL increase in FEV1 10-15 minutes after 400 μg salbutamol) * Peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability (\>10% average daily PEF variability over 2 weeks) * Positive delayed reversibility (improvement in lung function after 4 weeks of anti-inflammatory treatment with \>12% and \>200 mL increase in FEV1 or \>20% increase in PEF) * Positive bronchial provocation test (≥20% fall in FEV1 with standard doses of methacholine or histamine) * Stable disease for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment For the COPD group: * Diagnosis of COPD for at least 6 months according to the GOLD 2024 guidelines (post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC \<70% in the presence of compatible clinical findings) * Stable disease for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of other pulmonary diseases apart from asthma or COPD (e.g., interstitial lung diseases, pleural diseases, pulmonary vascular diseases) * Pregnant women * History of cancer within the past 5 years * Previous lung surgery * Active pulmonary tuberculosis * Respiratory tract infection within the last 4 weeks * Presence of significant extrapu…