Conclusion
We conclude that atopy is present in COPD patients and that the prevalence of atopy is higher in males, subjects with overweight/obesity and younger patients. Importantly, atopy in COPD is associated with a higher prevalence and incidence of respiratory symptoms, while when being treated with ICS, the patients have higher remission rates. However, atopy in COPD is not associated with accelerated but rather decelerated FEV1 decline in females. Our results clearly indicate that the atopic status should not be forgotten in the routine work-up of COPD. However, whether every atopic COPD patient should be treated with an ICS needs to be confirmed in future studies.