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CD4+, T helper cells; CD8+, cytotoxic T lymphocytes; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor; GOLD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; GSVA, gene set variation analysis; HV, healthy volunteers; IL, interleukin; IL-1RAP, interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein; NS, not significant; OX, oxidised; RAGE, receptor for advanced glycation endproducts; RED, reduced; ST2, serum stimulation-2; sST2, soluble serum stimulation-2
*Damage induced by smoke, pollutants and viral or bacterial exposure7,10; †Neutrophilic inflammation is seen in the majority of patients with COPD, and up to one third of patients may also have elevated eosinophils5
Diagram developed by AstraZeneca based on information and methodology described in references4–7,10–13
Diagram developed by AstraZeneca based on information and methodology described in references4,5,20
*GOLD Stage III defined as severe COPD (FEV1 predicted ≥30–<50% ); GOLD Stage IV defined as very severe COPD (FEV1 predicted <30%);8 †Data are shown as individual values; horizontal lines indicate median;1 ‡This cohort comprised 17 GOLD Stage III and 54 Stage IV patients with COPD undergoing lung volume reduction surgery. Lung tissue from 10 control individuals was obtained from people who died from non-respiratory causes.9
Exacerbations figure (left) adapted from Joo H, et al. BMC Pulm Med. 2021:21:86. Productive cough figure (right) developed using data in Kim SW, et al. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2017;12:395–401.
All figures licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
§In this analysis of 62 patients with COPD based in Korea, levels of IL-33 in the upper quartile of the cohort were defined as high group, with all levels below this value defined as low group. Patients were prospectively followed for 1 year and monitored for exacerbation;2 ¶In this analysis of 307 patients from the COPD Korean Obstructive Lung Disease cohort, IL-33 levels above the median IL-33 level of the cohort were defined as high, with all values below the median defined as low. At baseline, the median IL-33 level was 11.9 pg/mL (IQR 7.9–30.6). This study described productive cough as chronic bronchitis, which was defined as phlegm for ≥3 months per year3
Z4-86693 | Date of preparation: September 2026
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ASTRAZENECA Z4-85831 | 8/2026 | ©ASTRAZENECA 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
