Small airways disease in mild and moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Animal Models Reflecting Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Related Respiratory Disorders: Translating Pre-Clinical Data into Clinical Relevance

“…Current COPD treatment approaches rely on minimizing exposure to smoke inhalation and reducing the occurrence and severity of exacerbations [64,65] stage intervention is required in order to significantly impact disease progression [4,5,66]. Minimizing exposure to both smoking and indoor air pollution decreases the rate of disease progression and is positively correlated with a decrease in mortality [67,68].…”

“…Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease syndrome characterized by an inflammatory airway state induced by environmental stimuli, primarily tobacco smoke and household or industrial air pollution [1][2][3]. COPD is believed to be a combination of disorders, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, both of which cause diminished airflow at expiration and are associated with obstructed bronchi [1,4,5]. The disease has become a silent killer in low-and middle-income countries because of its slow progression in many patients [6][7][8].…”

Twenty‐five years of Respirology: Advances in COPD

“…While lungs are poorly visualized by traditional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, the advent of hyperpolarized gases including helium or xenon coupled with novel image processing algorithms is now enabling accurate assessment in regional burden of emphysema and small airway disease and vascular remodelling . Micro‐CT scan, which has resolution as fine as 16 μm (vs 0.6–1 mm for conventional CT images), allows the ex vivo study of the microarchitecture of the small airway and optical coherence tomography, an imaging technique that can generate three‐dimensional images with micrometre resolution (two to three orders of magnitude finer than clinical CT and MRI) without ionizing radiation, can potentially evaluate the microstructures of the airway walls in vivo …”

“…7 Micro-CT scan, which has resolution as fine as 16 μm (vs 0.6-1 mm for conventional CT images), allows the ex vivo study of the microarchitecture of the small airway and optical coherence tomography, an imaging technique that can generate three-dimensional images with micrometre resolution (two to three orders of magnitude finer than clinical CT and MRI) without ionizing radiation, can potentially evaluate the microstructures of the airway walls in vivo. 8 Pharmacological therapies have also rapidly evolved over the past two decades. Whereas in the 1990s, the standard of care was the use of short-acting bronchodilators, clinicians now have a large repertoire of therapeutics to choose from including long-acting bronchodilators alone or in combination, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and oral medications.…”

COPD and Rural Health: A Dialogue on the National Action Plan

“…Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex lung disease characterized by airways inflammation and lung tissue remodeling, leading to loss of small airways and emphysema. 1 It is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for more than 150,000 deaths yearly. 2 More than 15 million people have been diagnosed with COPD and, compared to 4.7% in large metropolitan areas, a staggering 8.2% of those living in rural areas have the disease.…”