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| Title: | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease | Article: | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes problems with maximum expiratory (exhaling) air flow and slows down the forced emptying of the lungs. Those features do not change much over several months. Signs of the disease include chronic cough, sputum and, eventually, severe shortness of breath. Cigarette smoking is the main factor in COPD development. Up to 600 million people suffers COPD worldwide.
COPD is the fifth leading cause of death and significant cause of disability worldwide. In the year 2020, COPD might be the third leading cause of death and the fifth leading cause of morbidity. COPD is characterized by a chronic inflammatory process in the wall of the small airways, decreased elastic recoil in alveoli and destruction of the alveolar attachments with the walls of the small airways. These changes lead to airway obstruction, hyperinflation and abnormal gas exchange. The major mechanism of COPD is the restrictive problem due to hyperinflation. This restriction leads to shortness of breath (dyspnea) and decreased tolerability to exercise. Stopping smoking is the most effective way to slow the progression of the condition. The known drugs for COPD do not slow long-term decline in lung function very much. Current medications are used to decrease symptoms and reduce severity of exacerbations. The drugs include bronchodilators (beta-2-adrenergic agonists, anticholinergics, and methylxanthines) and inhaled corticosteroids. Corticosteroids have anti-inflammatory effect. COPD is often inadequately treated despite the numerous existing therapies. Non-adequate treatment leads to significant disabilities and unbalanced utilization of health resource.
Activation of inflammatory cells in lungs significantly contributes to COPD development. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, prolong inflammatory response, that eventually leads to the destruction of lung tissue and development of progressive fibrosis. New drugs, MAPK inhibitors, are under investigation for the treatment of COPD. Inflammatory cytokines play significant role in airway inflammation, and many of the processes are dependent on the stress-induced MAPK cascade. Soon new p38 MAPK inhibitors may be developed for the treatment of pulmonary inflammatory diseases. | Author: | Aleksandr Kavokin, MD, PhD | System: | Lungs | Subject: | Pulmonary Disease | Abstract: | COPD is the fifth leading cause of death and significant cause of disability worldwide. | Website: | www.kavokin.com | Time: | 16:33 | Reference: | www.rdoctor.com | Reference 2: | |
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