Autonomic Nervous System Regulation of Airway Tone

Abstract

The contractile state of airway smooth muscle, thickness of the airway walls, lung elastic recoil, mucus hypersecretion, and mucosal edema are the primary determinants of airway obstruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is unknown if baseline airway contraction exists in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to autonomic nervous system dysfunction, and no specific "defect" in autonomic nervous function has been identified. The contribution of acetylcholine to airway remodeling is unknown at the present time but requires further investigation.