Viral Infection is Associated with an Increased Proinflammatory Response in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract The development of new diagnostic methods based on molecular biology has led to evidence of the important role of respiratory viruses in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. Cytokines and chemokines are recognized as key actors in the pathogenesis of COPD. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between viral infection and host cytokine responses in 57 COPD patients hospitalized with an acute exacerbation. Seventeen cytokines were profiled using a Luminex-Biorad multiplex assay in plasma samples collected in the first 24 h following hospital admission. Stepwise linear regression analysis was performed, taking into account the influence of seven potential confounding factors in the results. Twenty-four out of 57 showed radiological signs of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) at hospital admission, 25 patients required admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), 20 had a bacterial infection, and 20 showed a detectable respiratory virus in pharyngeal swabs....