Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality
worldwide and encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It has been shown that
vascular wall remodeling and pulmonary hypertension (PH) can occur not only in patients
with COPD but also in smokers with normal lung function, suggesting a causal role for
vascular alterations in the development of emphysema. Mechanistically, abnormalities in the
vasculature, such as inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, imbalances in cellular …