title: [The role of respiratory infections in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].
abstract: Morbidity and mortality of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are considerable and still increasing. The disease is gaining increasing socioeconomic importance. The knowledge of underlying mechanisms is of special relevance because of the lack of a curative therapy. Respiratory infections have been identified as the most important triggers of acute exacerbations but recent data suggest that they might also play an important role in COPD pathogenesis. This knowledge might offer new therapeutic perspectives in the future. The aim of this review is, therefore, to describe the inflammatory processes involved and to specify the role of respiratory infections in this context.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik III - Pneumologie, Allergologie, Schlaf- und Beatmungsmedizin, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Kliniken Bergmannsheil - Klinikum der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany. Gernot.Rohde@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors.forename: Gernot
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rohde
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schlosser
authors.forename: Umut
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Arinir
authors.forename: Juliane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kronsbein
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Knoop
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ringshausen
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schultze-Werninghaus
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D003139:Common Cold / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D010850:Picornaviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D012229:Rhinovirus; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1