A 55-year-old smoker presents with centriacinar emphysema. Which protease-antiprotease imbalance is primarily responsible for this tissue destruction?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Excessive release of elastase from neutrophils and macrophages
Centriacinar emphysema is strongly associated with smoking, which triggers the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages. These cells release elastase and other proteases that overwhelm local antioxidant defenses, leading to the destruction of alveolar walls.
Keep practicing
More Respiratory Pathology questions
- Which of the following is characteristic of the morphology of 'Curschmann spirals' found in the sputum of asthmatic patients?
- In the context of lobar pneumonia, which stage is characterized by an alveolus filled with fibrin, neutrophils, and disintegrated red blood…
- A biopsy of a lung mass reveals small, round-to-oval cells with scant cytoplasm, 'salt and pepper' chromatin, and frequent nuclear molding.…
- Which type of lung cancer is most frequently associated with a peripheral location and a precursor lesion known as Atypical Adenomatous Hyp…
- The presence of 'Ferruginous bodies' in a lung biopsy is an indicator of exposure to which of the following?
- Which of the following describes the characteristic lesion of 'Ghon complex' in primary tuberculosis?