The Immune Response in the Pathophysiology of Pulmonary Diseases

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the world’s third leading cause of death. The number of patients with asthma is increasing in developed countries. We review here the main features of pathophysiology in these obstructive diseases. Tobacco smoke and other air pollution stimulate chronic inflammation in COPD. Asthma is a type 1 hypersensitivity that is a response to various allergens. In both pathologies, chronic inflammatory response leads to airway remodeling, significantly impacting lung function and a patient’s daily activity. Besides imaging techniques, a critical diagnostic tool is a pulmonary function test with characteristic obstructive patterns and respiratory symptoms. Sarcoidosis is discussed as an example of a restrictive disease. Finally, we shortly highlight the direction of current research.