Airways Without Borders: Establishing Global Airways Units for Integrated Care
Chronic respiratory diseases continue to be managed within fragmented specialty-based structures despite robust evidence supporting the "global airways" concept, which recognizes allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, and asthma as interconnected manifestations of a shared inflammatory continuum. Advances in endotype-driven classification, the treatable traits framework, and the cross-efficacy of biologic therapies have reinforced the scientific and therapeutic rationale for integrated care; however, implementation remains largely theoretical. This editorial advocates for the establishment of Global Airways Units (GAUs), a pragmatic, multidisciplinary model in which otolaryngologists, pulmonologists, and allergists jointly evaluate patients within a unified diagnostic and therapeutic framework. By aligning healthcare organization with established pathophysiological knowledge and evolving guideline recommendations, GAUs represent a feasible, cost-effective strategy to operationalize precision medicine across the entire airway spectrum and translate consensus into tangible clinical benefit.
Authors
- Eduardo J. Correa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6141-5360)
- Diego M. Conti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8896-495X)
- Rosario Belén Spuches
Institutions
- El Hospital General de Agudos Carlos G. Durand (AR)
- Hospital Quirónsalud Barcelona (ES)
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES)
- KU Leuven (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology
- Published
- 2026-02-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/00034894261426729
- Primary Topic
- Asthma and respiratory diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00