title: [Roles of airway inflammation in chronic airflow obstruction].
abstract: Airway inflammation plays a vital role in the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Chronic airflow obstruction, a hallmark of COPD, is a manifestation of an intricate combination of loss of elastic recoil of the lung, small airway disease, mucus hypersecretion, and airway wall thickening/contraction. Airway inflammation appears to contribute to all of these components.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oizumi
mesh_terms: D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology*; D009093:Mucus / Q000378:metabolism