Healthy lung vs. COPD lung. Photo by: National Institutes of Health
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a group of incurable diseases that include emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and in some cases asthma. Tobacco use is the number one cause of COPD, which causes trouble with breathing and is the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Lung Association.
Treating COPD
Currently the treatment protocols for COPD include simply managing symptoms to slow down the deterioration of the lungs and to make the patient more comfortable, since there’s no way to repair the damage. Now, however, Enid Neptune and her colleagues at Johns Hopkins University of Baltimore have found that Losartan, a common medication taken to lower blood pressure, may be able to help patients with COPD in a more proactive fashion.
This study, “Angiotensin receptor blockade attenuates cigarette smoke–induced lung injury and rescues lung architecture in mice,” was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation on December 19, 2011.
Renin-Angiotensin System, including Angiotensin receptors 1 and 2. Image by Liangxiao
Click for Page Two: Losartan as COPD Treatment
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