Advances in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Therapy: A Vascular-Targeted Approach

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a common, preventable, and treatable disease characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation, is rapidly becoming a global healthcare challenge. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States and has been ranked fourth worldwide. Its current therapies improve symptom relief but do not alter the natural history of the disease. Therefore, as COPD is a progressive condition, novel treatment strategies, and alternative therapies are desperately needed. There are now multiple lines of evidence suggesting that changes to the pulmonary vasculature are important to the development and progression of COPD, independent of pulmonary hypertension. Hence, we hypothesize that a vascular-targeted therapy can be a potent and reliable way of monitoring and possibly changing the course of COPD progression. This review focuses on the potency and promise, as well as challenges, of developing vascular-targeted therapy in alleviating the early onset of COPD signs and symptoms.