Increased oxidative stress and depleted antioxidant capacity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Searching for applications

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been rising in the prevalence as the world population ages. In the most recent iteration of the Global Burden of Disease study, there was a modest increase in global death rates attributable to COPD from 2005 to 2015. This was despite a global decline in age-standardized COPD-specific death rates, due to better healthcare.[1] These are ominous signs for the future COPD-related burden on the already stressed health-care system.[2] Strategies to predict susceptibility to COPD or its progression would be useful toward focusing limited resources. Further, the identification of potentially reversible factors is needed for better therapeutics.