Computed tomography quantification of airway remodelling in normal ageing subjects: a cross-sectional study

Airway remodelling inducing structural and functional decline is a main factor leading to clinical disablement in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1]. However, whether airway remodelling is also a potential feature of the normal healing process in ordinary lifelong environmental exposure and chronic endogen damage due to senescence is not well elucidated [2]. The relationship between ageing and development of COPD is complex. On one hand, while there is a higher prevalence of COPD in the elderly, ageing is not the direct cause of COPD; on the other hand, it does increase the susceptibility of the lung to extrinsic damage [3]. Airway remodelling with age is a heterogeneous process having a particular tropism towards distal airways We thank all the volunteers who participated in this research study; Melina Bouet, Claire Belloc and Erika Nogue for logistical assistance and data management; and Pamela Goodman-Stephens for her linguistic contribution (all CHU Montpellier, Montpellier, France).