Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [copd]: a role for inflammation

ABSTRACT

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] is a common respiratory condition, especially among smokers. The interest in this condition has been disappointingly modest in contrast to its widespread occurrence and seriousness. This review explores different aspects of airway inflammation in COPD and their implications for treatment. A review of studies related to the inflammatory process in COPD in the last ten years was done utilizing two major medical databases [MedLine and EMBASE]. Evidence suggests an important role of airway inflammation in the development of airflow limitation in smokers. A possible important role of neutrophils in this inflammation and in the pathogenesis of COPD has been suggested as well. Some of the inflammatory mediators of COPD could prove to be valuable targets for therapeutic interventions, and others could serve as markers to monitor disease activity and response to treatment. The issue of corticosteroids in COPD is still controversial. Good response to these agents is often related to the coexistence of features of asthma. Since smoking cessation is still the only intervention that leads to an improvement in the natural history of COPD, identifying cells and mediators that drive this smoking-induced airway inflammation and obstruction should guide our development of novel therapies to treat this condition