Matrix Metalloproteinase 12, Asthma, and COPD

Abstract

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are obstructive airway diseases that involve chronic inflammation of the lower respiratory tract. They differ from each other in the pattern of inflammation, their immunologic mechanisms, the extent of reversibility of airflow limitation, and their inciting agents (allergens in the case of asthma and cigarette smoke in the case of COPD). Additional differences in diagnostic workup, treatment, and monitoring have warranted the development and implementation of separate guidelines for the diagnosis and management of these conditions. However, evidence is accumulating that asthma and COPD share common pathogenetic pathways. In particular, genetic studies investigating . . . Financial and other disclosures </doi/suppl/10.1056/NEJMe0910626/suppl_file/nejme0910626_disclosures.pdf> provided by the author are available with the full text of this article at NEJM.org. This article (10.1056/NEJMe0910626) was published on December 16, 2009, at NEJM.org