The processes of inflammation and fibrosis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The aim of the study was to determine the categories of COPD patients with a predominance of fibrotic or inflammatory processes. The study included 37 stable COPD patients (men – 33 (89.2%), women – 4 (10.8%), mean age – 63.5±1.18 years, the level of forced expiratory volume for the first second after the test with bronchodilators (FEV1post) – 46.7±5.81% of the proper value). To determine the categories of COPD patients with a predominance of inflammation or fibrosis, a cluster analysis was performed. For this purpose the most important indicators from a clinical point of view were selected: the number of exacerbations over the past year, dyspnea severity according to the mMRC scale, the level of FEV1 post and reversibility level in absolute values, systemic inflammation markers levels (CAA, C-RP) and profibrotic cytokine TGF-β1. Thus, according to the results of cluster analysis, two categories of patients were identified. The first category – COPD patients with a predominance of the inflammatory process with low dyspnea severity, high functional indicators (FEV1 >50% of the proper value), high airway reversibility level, low level of profibrotic cytokine TGF-β1, high levels of systematic inflammation markers (C-RP and CAA). The second category – COPD patients with a predominance of the fibrosis process, with a high dyspnea severity, low functional indicators (FEV1 ≤50% of the proper value), low airway reversibility level, low levels of systematic inflammation markers (C-RP and CAA), and high profibrotic cytokine TGF-β1 levels. The prevalence of inflammatory processes was observed mainly in COPD patients, who belong to clinical group C; the prevalence of fibrotic processes – mainly in patients of clinical group B.