Those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffer from difficulty breathing, excess mucus production, coughing, and wheezing. The condition is progressive; it worsens over time.
There is no proven cure for COPD. However, medications, lung therapy, surgery, and other treatments can reduce symptoms and improve patients’ overall quality of life.
Regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, may offer a possible more comprehensive control of COPD by working to repair damaged lung tissue and reduce inflammation in the lungs.
What Is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?
COPD is a condition associated with chronic inflammation in the lungs. This inflammation obstructs airflow. While smoking cigarettes is the most common cause, long-term exposure to irritating gases or particles can also lead to COPD.
Typically, those with COPD also experience chronic bronchitis or emphysema, which can occur together and can increase in severity with COPD. Chronic bronchitis leads to inflammation in the bronchial tubes that carry air to the lungs and causes an ongoing cough and increased mucus production.
With emphysema, the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs’ air passages become damaged or destroyed due to long-term exposure to irritants.COPD is also linked to an increased risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease, and other serious health conditions.
What Is Stem Cell Therapy?
Stem cell therapy uses the unique healing and restoring properties of stem cells to repair and replace damaged tissue. Unlike regular cells, stem cells can divide to create two new stem cells, called daughter cells, or differentiate to create two new specialized cells, such as nerve or lung cells.
Additionally, they can divide infinitely, allowing them to continuously produce the cells necessary to restore health to damaged areas in the body. They also have immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory properties, which help the body regulate its immune response and reduce excess inflammation.
Stem cells lie dormant in various body tissues, such as bone marrow, fat, and umbilical cord tissues. In stem cell therapy, physicians use administration techniques focus them into damaged areas so they can facilitate healing.
How Does Stem Cell Therapy Help COPD Patients?
In COPD patients, stem cell therapy has the potential to repair damaged lung tissue and help the body fight the effects of chronic bronchitis or emphysema. In addition, their anti-inflammatory properties help clear swollen airways.
Current clinical trials examining stem cell therapy’s effects on COPD have shown promising results. After treatment, many patients have reported improved lung capacity and function.
While research into stem cell therapy for COPD is still ongoing, it offers a new, viable option for patients who are otherwise limited to invasive treatments, such as lung transplants or ventilators.
This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.