Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Major risk factors for COPD include tobacco smoking, age, sex, lung growth and development, occupational and environmental exposure, socioeconomic status. Despite the well-established epidemiologic evidence, however, the exact mechanisms involved remain inconclusive. Meanwhile, increasing data suggest a critical role of serum metabolic alterations in relation to COPD. Although these previous studies have indicated the associations between serum biomarkers (e.g., IGF-1, vitamin D, sex hormones, lipid profiles, etc.) with COPD, the data remain limited and large-scale prospective population studies are lacking. Therefore, to better understand the role of metabolic alterations in the development and progression of COPD, a detailed investigation of serum biomarkers with COPD is needed. Moreover, prevention and/or early detection can effectively reduce the burden caused by COPD. Risk prediction models can be used to assess individual risk. So far, most risk prediction models for COPD often include clinical indices with only very limited basic epidemiological factors such as age, sex, tobacco smoking, etc. In this study, we will utilize the data from UK biobank to prospectively investigate associations of serum biomarkers with COPD risk and survival. We will use the data to develop a model to predict each participant’s risk of developing COPD, according to their different combinations of risk factors. This research will make important contributions to the guidance of personalized prevention of COPD.
