Sevenoaks Martin J, Stockley Robert A
Department of Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, UK.
Respir Res. 2006 May 2;7(1):70. doi: 10.1186/1465-9921-7-70.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is and will remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The severity of airflow obstruction is known to relate to overall health status and mortality. However, even allowing for common aetiological factors, a link has been identified between COPD and other systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. COPD is known to be an inflammatory condition and neutrophil elastase has long been considered a significant mediator of the disease. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, in particular TNF-alpha (Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha), may be the driving force behind the disease process. However, the roles of inflammation and these pro-inflammatory cytokines may extend beyond the lungs and play a part in the systemic effects of the disease and associated co-morbidities. This article describes the mechanisms involved and proposes a common inflammatory TNF-alpha phenotype that may, in part, account for the associations.
慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）过去是、将来仍将是全球发病和死亡的主要原因。气流阻塞的严重程度与整体健康状况和死亡率相关。然而，即便考虑到常见的病因，慢性阻塞性肺疾病与其他全身性疾病（如心血管疾病、糖尿病和骨质疏松症）之间的联系也已得到确认。众所周知，慢性阻塞性肺疾病是一种炎症性疾病，中性粒细胞弹性蛋白酶长期以来一直被认为是该疾病的重要介质。促炎细胞因子，特别是肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α），可能是疾病进程背后的驱动力。然而，炎症和这些促炎细胞因子的作用可能不仅限于肺部，还在该疾病的全身影响及相关合并症中发挥作用。本文描述了其中涉及的机制，并提出了一种常见的炎症性肿瘤坏死因子-α表型，这可能部分解释了这些关联。
