Inflammatory Profiling in Chronic Lung Disease

Inflammatory Profiling in Chronic Lung Disease

The aim of this study is to investigate the underlying inflammatory profile in patients with chronic lung disease and determine the association pulmonary hypertension.

Chronic lung diseases (CLD), such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are often complicated by the presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH), where even a mild elevation of blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries is associated with an even poorer prognosis. In this study, we will investigate whether similarities exist in the inflammatory profile that could potentially underlie all forms of pulmonary hypertension. Inflammatory data will be generated using flow cytometry, expression profiling and histological analysis and compared to the associated clinical data.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients undergoing lung transplant with COPD or IPF, with associated PH
• Signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients without written informed consent
• Signs of any infection such as pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis or infections with pleural effusions.