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.

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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
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article

Airways Without Borders: Establishing Global Airways Units for Integrated Care

Eduardo J. Correa, Diego M. Conti, Rosario Belén Spuches
Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology
Asthma and respiratory diseases
article

Airways Without Borders: Establishing Global Airways Units for Integrated Care

Eduardo J. Correa, Diego M. Conti, Rosario Belén Spuches
article en

Abstract

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.

Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology
El Hospital General de Agudos Carlos G. Durand (AR), Hospital Quirónsalud Barcelona (ES), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES), KU Leuven (BE)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 44%
Asthma and respiratory diseases
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