Systemic & Nasal Inflammation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Although systemic inflammation is a well-known characteristic of COPD, little is known about inflammation in the disease’s upper airways. For a study, researchers evaluated the inflammatory profile in the upper airway and serum in a cohort of patients with COPD. Inflammatory profiles were assessed on upper airway and blood material using a 14-plex Bioplex multiplex immunoassay comprising the following cytokines: IL-1-beta, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, IL-18, Interferon-gamma, Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha, Tumour Necrosis Factor-bet

They assessed the disease burden of COPD using the CAT questionnaire and upper airway symptoms using the nasal domain of the 22-item Sino Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT22_nasal ). They included 180 patients (55% female, age 67 (±8) years old, FEV1% 52.4 (±16.6)). Using a SNOT22_nasal  threshold of ≥6, they classified patients into two groups: those with high upper airway symptoms (high UAS), n=74 (41%), and those with low upper airway symptoms (low UAS), n=106 (59%). High UAS was linked with greater levels of IL-1 beta and IL-3 in nasal samples (P=0.016 and 0.02, respectively) and higher levels of IL-1 beta in the blood (P=0.003). Upper airway scores (rho=0.195, P=0.01) and blood levels of IL-1 beta (rho=0.226, P=0.005) were linked favorably. Patients with COPD with severe upper airway symptoms had eosinophilic and neutrophilic inflammation, with raised levels of IL-1 beta and IL-3 in the nose and serum, as well as elevated IL-1 beta.

Reference:www.resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(22)00039-7/fulltext