American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 2015
Clinical and Immunological Factors in Emphysema Progression: 5-year Prospective LES-COPD Study.
Cross-sectional studies of T-cell responses to self-antigens correlate with baseline emphysema severity. ⋯ The rate of emphysema progression quantified by CT scans among ever-smokers was highly variable; clinical factors and biomarkers explained only some of the variability. Aggressive clinical care that targets active smokers with autoreactive T cells and low BMI may temporize progression of emphysema.