Advance in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Currently,the high morbidity and mortality of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the main reason to cause huge worldwide economic and social burden.The pathogenesis of COPD is complex.Inflammation,oxidative stress,Protease-antiprotease imbalance,and apoptotic are the key link of the pathogenesis of COPD.Infection is a major cause of acute exacerbation and progression of COPD.Autoimmunity may be the main reason for the persistence of inflammation in COPD patients after smoking cessation.Lung damage caused by cigarette smoke eventually form a continuous process of selfamplified,which lead to clinical symptoms and pathological changes. Key words: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;  Pathogenesis;  Emphysema;  Oxidative stress;  Apoptosis