<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable heterogeneous lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, sputum production. The main pathophysiological changes occur in the airways, lung parenchyma, pulmonary blood vessels and are represented by chronic inflammation and structural changes. The inflammatory response is initiated by exposure to chronic irritants and amplifies with the severity of airflow. Smoking remains the most important risk factor, but chronic airflow limitation can also be objectified in non-smokers. Oxidative stress, the excess of pulmonary proteinases, the alteration of the lung microbiome and the presence of inflammatory mediators can contribute to the amplification of the inflammatory process. Lung inflammation that develops in patients with COPD leads to an increase in biomarkers that are associated with neutrophilic inflammation, such as MMP9, elastase, neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and proinflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood. Also, interleukin-8 (IL-8) contributes to neutrophil activation, but further research is needed to identify the role of IL-8, the benefits of anti-inflammatory therapy, also emphasizing the importance of progression in medicine.</p>
</abstract>

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable heterogeneous lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, sputum production. The main pathophysiological changes occur in the airways, lung parenchyma, pulmonary blood vessels and are represented by chronic inflammation and structural changes. The inflammatory response is initiated by exposure to chronic irritants and amplifies with the severity of airflow. Smoking remains the most important risk factor, but chronic airflow limitation can also be objectified in non-smokers. Oxidative stress, the excess of pulmonary proteinases, the alteration of the lung microbiome and the presence of inflammatory mediators can contribute to the amplification of the inflammatory process. Lung inflammation that develops in patients with COPD leads to an increase in biomarkers that are associated with neutrophilic inflammation, such as MMP9, elastase, neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and proinflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood. Also, interleukin-8 (IL-8) contributes to neutrophil activation, but further research is needed to identify the role of IL-8, the benefits of anti-inflammatory therapy, also emphasizing the importance of progression in medicine.

The Importance of the Interleukin-8 Study in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”

Internal Medicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable heterogeneous lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms such as...

The Importance of the Interleukin-8 Study in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Published Online: Oct 20, 2023

Page range: 19 - 25

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/inmed-2023-0255

Keywords
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung inflammation, interleukin-8

© 2023 Elena-Andreea Moaleș et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The Importance of the Interleukin-8 Study in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Published Online: Oct 20, 2023

Page range: 19 - 25

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/inmed-2023-0255

Keywordschronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung inflammation, interleukin-8

© 2023 Elena-Andreea Moaleș et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung inflammation, interleukin-8