Vasoactive intestinal peptide for diagnosing exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Introduction: Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) is the most abundant neuropeptide in the lung. VIP has been linked to pulmonary arterial hypertension and hypoxia in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). We aimed to assess circulating VIP levels at exacerbation and at stable COPD and to evaluate the diagnostic performance in a well-characterized cohort of COPD patients. Methods: The nested cohort study included patients with GOLD stage II-IV. Patients were examined at stable state and at acute exacerbation COPD (AE-COPD), and dedicated serum was collected at both conditions. Serum VIP levels were determ…