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  • Title: Current aspects in etiopathogenesis and diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
    Author: Leru P.
    Journal: Rom J Intern Med; 2004; 42(1):83-93. PubMed ID: 15529597.
    Abstract:
    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a frequent disease that represents a major cause of disability and mortality in all countries, resulting in an important economic and social burden. The disease results from interaction between individual risk factors (like enzymatic deficiencies) and environmental exposures to noxious agents, like cigarette smoking, occupational dusts, air pollution and infections in childhood. The main mechanisms that may contribute to airflow limitation in COPD are fixed narrowing of small airways, emphysema and luminal obstruction with mucus secretions. COPD is characterised by a chronic inflammatory process in the pulmonary tissue, with a pattern different from bronchial asthma, associated with extrapulmonary effects and is considered now a complex, systemic disease. Optimal therapeutic targeting of COPD depends on a clear understanding of the precise mechanisms of these complex processes and on early and correct evaluation of disease severity.
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