ABSTRACT
I. Introduction Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents a leading cause of disease morbidity and mortality worldwide, with estimates affecting >10% of the world’s adult population (1). The term COPD is nonspecific and most commonly refers to patients with chronic bronchitis or emphysema and a subset of patients with asthma (2). The disease is characterized by destruction of the lung parenchyma (emphysema), airway inflammation, and increase in mucus-producing cells (3).
