Source: Annual Congress 2001 - Inflammation and genetics in airway disease
Disease area: Airway diseases

Abstract

Background: Cigarette smoking causes airway inflammation in everyone but only a proportion of smokers develop COPD.
Purpose: To test the hypothesis that airway obstruction is caused by an amplification of the cigarette smoke induced inflammatory response.
Methods: Lung tissue was obtained from heavy smokers with nomal lung function (n=7), mild (n=7) or severe COPD (n=7). Quantitative analysis was performed based on a cascade design using CT lung volume as a reference volume and histologic point counting to establish the volume fraction Vv of small airways, inflammatory cells total collagen and subtypes.
Results: Inflammatory cells/ml airway tissue increased in severe COPD (p = 0.02) due to increased numbers of macrophages, CD-8, and B-lymphocytes. The PMN increased in the epithelium whereas the CD-8, CD-4, B-lymphocytes and macrophages increased in the adventitia and were associated with increased lymphoid follicle formation. Eosinophils were low in number and unchanged with disease. Total collagen did not change but shifted in type and associated with a reduced airway lumen in severe COPD.
Conclusion: The small airway inflammatory response is amplified, and associated with a proliferation of lymphoid follicles, rearrangement of collagen and a reduced airway lumen in smokers that develop severe COPD.

Rating:

Share or cite this content

Citations should be made in the following way:
W. M. Elliott, D. Ionescu, B. Meshi, S. Utokaparch, R. M. Rogers, F. C. Sciurba, P. D. Pare, J. C. Hogg (Vancouver, Canada; Pittsburgh, United States Of America). Small airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Eur Respir J 2001; 16: Suppl. 31, 3382

Member's Comments

No comment yet.

Related content which might interest you: Large airways remodeling in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients Source: Annual Congress 2008 - Pathophysiology of respiratory diseases Year: 2008 Disease of the airways in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Source: Eur Respir J 2001; 18: 41S-49S Year: 2001 Systemic and pulmonary inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Source: Annual Congress 2008 - Pathophysiology of COPD Year: 2008 Definition and differential diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Source: ISSN=ISSN 1025-448x, ISBN=ISBN 1-904097-48-0, page=1 Year: 2006 Systemic effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Source: Eur Respir J 2003; 21: 347-360 Year: 2003 COPD in farming Source: Annual Congress 2006 - Farming – a worldwide problem Year: 2006 Pattern of airway inflammation and remodeling in mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Source: Annual Congress 2010 - COPD: treatment and monitoring Year: 2010 Association between airway inflammation and systemic inflammation in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Source: Annual Congress 2010 - COPD: systemic inflammation and comorbidities Year: 2010 Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: when are bacteria important? Source: Eur Respir J 2002; 20: 9S-19S Year: 2002 Platelets activation during chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation Source: Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 89s Year: 2002 Asthma versus chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Source: ISSN=1025-448x, ISBN=1-904097-26-x, page=195 Year: 2003 Functional and inflammatory bowel diseases in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Source: International Congress 2019 – Advances in clinical management of COPD Year: 2019 "Nitosative stress" in the bronchial mucosa of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Source: Eur Respir J 2005; 26: Suppl. 49, 363s Year: 2005 Airways obstruction is associated with increased cardiac injury and systemic inflammation in patients with stable COPD Source: Annual Congress 2006 - COPD and systemic inflammation Year: 2006 Peripheral lung remodelling in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Source: Eur Respir J 2004; 24: 893-894 Year: 2004 Regional ventilatory defects in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Source: Annual Congress 2006 - COPD: imaging and computer applications Year: 2006 The relationship between fibroblasts and airway structure in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Source: Eur Respir J 2001; 18: Suppl. 33, 148s Year: 2001 Periodontitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Source: Annual Congress 2006 - COPD and inflammation Year: 2006 Airway inflammation persists after smoking cessation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Source: Eur Respir J 2001; 18: Suppl. 33, 249s Year: 2001 Periostin levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Source: International Congress 2018 – Biomarkers for evaluating COPD Year: 2018