Emphysema: the challenge of the remodelled lung

Abstract

Emphysema is recognized as the component of chronic obstructive airways disease thatud is responsible for airways obstruction. Different patterns of emphysema are, however,ud recognized, suggesting possible different pathogenetic processes within the lung. This,ud coupled with the associated idea of susceptibility factors to the development of emphysema,ud has led to studies of genes that may be involved in the defence of the lung from proteolyticud and oxidative damage. These studies have been driven by the goal of finding a treatment forud emphysema, but appear to have lost sight of the fundamental remodelling of the lung thatud has occurred in patients with emphysema and the fact that it is not a single morphologicalud entity.peer-reviewe