Despite the implementation of modern public health interventions, 1 in 5 adults in the United States are either current or former smokers and remain at risk for the development of chronic lung diseases. It is unknown how or why any one individual smoker can develop a wide range of lung diseases including chronic obstructive lung disease and/or pulmonary fibrosis. The purpose of this protocol is to collect clinical data, blood, urine, and bronchoalveolar samples from smokers and non-smokers in an attempt to establish phenotypic clinical profiles that correspond to divergent pathways in the expression of such proteins as the transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). The information generated from this study will provide insight into the pathogenesis of smoking-related lung injury and potentially allow for the development of early therapeutic interventions.
Despite the implementation of modern public health interventions, 1 in 5 adults in the United States are either current or former smokers and remain at risk for the development of chronic lung diseases. It is unknown how or why any one individual smoker can develop a wide range of lung diseases including chronic obstructive lung disease and/or pulmonary fibrosis. The purpose of this protocol is to collect clinical data, blood, urine, and bronchoalveolar samples from smokers and non-smokers in an attempt to establish phenotypic clinical profiles that correspond to divergent pathways in the expression of such proteins as the transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta <=1). The information generated from this study will provide insight into the pathogenesis of smoking-related lung injury and potentially allow for the development of early therapeutic interventions.