What is it about?
In our previous papers, with explained that vessel changes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) include increased numbers of vessels in the area immediately beneath the epithelium (called reticular basement membrane) and reduced number of vessels in the deeper mucosa (called lamina propria). The current study assessed the effect of inhaled corticosteroids on these vessel changes.
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Why is it important?
COPD is a very common respiratory disease. Inhaled corticosteroids are routinely used in patients with COPD. However, their effects on vascular remodelling, which is defined as vessel changes in the airways, has never been studied in a double-blinded, placebo controlled trial. Our study is the first of this type that assessed the effects of treatment in vessel remodelling. in COPD.
Perspectives
This publication is the first double blinded, placebo-controlled study about the effects of inhaled corticosteroids on vessel remodelling in COPD airways. It also is an addition to our previous publication in the international journal of COPD that assessed the effects of the same medications on the indices of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). These two papers emphasize that inhaled corticosteroids are effective in airway remodelling and raise the possibility that these effects may explain the protective effects of these medications against cancer in COPD (this needs more investigation).
Dr Amir Soltani
University of Tasmania
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Inhaled corticosteroid normalizes some but not all airway vascular remodeling in COPD, International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, September 2016, Dove Medical Press,
DOI: 10.2147/copd.s113176.
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