RESUMO
Objective To investigate the level change and correlation of serum IL-18 and soluble Fas/Fas ligand(sFas/sFasL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to evaluate their roles in the pathogenesis of COPD. Methods The levels of serum IL-18 and sFas/sFasL in 36 patients with COPD of acute aggravation stage and 20 healthy control subjects were detected by ELISA. Results The levels of serum sFasL and IL-18 in patients with COPD were significantly lower than those in healthy control subjects, while there was not significant differene in serum sFas level between the two groups. Conclusion The serum sFasL and IL-18 level decreass in patients with COPD of acute aggravation stage indicated that cell apoptosis level and immune function reduced in the patients.