Systemic inflammation associated with frequent asthma, COPD exacerbations

Increases in systemic inflammation predict more frequent exacerbations in patients with asthma as well as airway Interluekin-1β in patients with COPD, according to study results.“Importantly, we identified a potential causal pathway that shows how airway innate immune activation through Interluekin-1β (IL-1β) results in systemic inflammation and exacerbations in COPD,” Juan-Juan Fu, MD, PhD, department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and West Medicine, West China Hospital, and colleagues wrote. “This pathway could contribute to a vicious cycle between previous and future exacerbations and may identify potential molecular treatment targets that could reduce exacerbations in COPD.”