Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): What is the Role of microRNAs?
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a heterogeneous respiratory disease characterized by a progressive, not fully reversible airflow limitation associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious stimuli.
Demographic data show that more than 200 million patients worldwide suffer COPD, leading the scientific community
to speculate that in 2020 it will be the third important cause of mortality in the world.
Several immune system cells and biochemical mediators are involved in its development and in symptoms severity. It has been suggested that in COPD patients there is a spill over of peripheral lungs inflammation markers into systemic circulation that in turns result in an increased level of different
inflammatory markers such as: IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α.
The increase of those systemic inflammatory markers could be the link of
COPD patients co-morbidities, since they are responsible per se of many other complication
such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, skeletal muscle weakness, diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome.
COPD diagnosis is based on clinical evaluation and spirometry and actually several biochemical parameters are increased in blood circulation during COPD exacerbations as well as during COPD treatments.
COPD exacerbation and progression, is due to the absence of a plasmatic
markers able to identify the stage of the disease and/or the response to the treatment. This represents, in real life, a
common problem during COPD treatment that is also linked with an increase of sanitary health costs. Last year, the European Health Bill for COPD treatment increased by 10 million USD and the market is thought to increase up to 37.7 million USD by 2030.
Pulm Res Respir Med Open J. 2015; 2(4): e3-e5. doi: 10.17140/PRRMOJ-2-e002
