ArticleRespiratory research2019
Loss of skin elasticity is associated with pulmonary emphysema, biomarkers of inflammation, and matrix metalloproteinase activity in smokers.
Article in Respiratory research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Perceived Age as a Mortality and Comorbidity Predictor: A Systematic Review.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2023Pooled it
- Facial Wrinkling is Not Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Severity in Thai Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2026Article
- Chondrodermatitis Nodularis Helicis: Association with Higher Risk of Multimorbidity and Mortality in Middle-Aged Individuals and Implications for Prevention. An Observational Multicenter Retrospective Case-Control Investigation in Northern Spain.Dermatology practical & conceptual · 2025Article
- Genome-wide identification of copy number variations in wrinkled skin cases of Xiang pigs.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Intradermal Treatment with a Hyaluronic Acid Complex Supplemented with Amino Acids and Antioxidant Vitamins Improves Cutaneous Hydration and Viscoelasticity in Healthy Subjects.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Article
- Reduced decline of lung diffusing capacity in COPD patients with diabetes and metformin treatment.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Identifying molecular targets for reverse aging using integrated network analysis of transcriptomic and epigenomic changes during aging.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Elevated plasma level of Pentraxin 3 is associated with emphysema and mortality in smokers.Thorax · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundElastin breakdown and the resultant loss of lung elastic recoil is a hallmark of pulmonary emphysema in susceptible individuals as a consequence of tobacco smoke exposure. Systemic alterations to the synthesis and degradation of elastin may be important to our understanding of disease phenotypes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We investigated the association of skin elasticity with pulmonary emphysema, obstructive lung disease, and blood biomarkers of inflammation and tissue protease activity in tobacco-exposed individuals.
methodsTwo hundred and thirty-six Caucasian individuals were recruited into a sub-study of the University of Pittsburgh Specialized Center for Clinically Orientated Research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a prospective cohort study of current and former smokers. The skin viscoelastic modulus (VE), a determinant of skin elasticity, was recorded from the volar forearm and facial wrinkling severity was determined using the Daniell scoring system.
resultsIn a multiple regression analysis, reduced VE was significantly associated with cross-sectional measurement of airflow obstruction (FEV1/FVC) and emphysema quantified from computed tomography (CT) images, β = 0.26, p = 0.001 and β = 0.24, p = 0.001 respectively. In emphysema-susceptible individuals, elasticity-determined skin age was increased (median 4.6 years) compared to the chronological age of subjects without emphysema. Plasma biomarkers of inflammation (TNFR1, TNFR2, CRP, PTX3, and SAA) and matrix metalloproteinase activity (MMP1, TIMP1, TIMP2, and TIMP4) were inversely associated with skin elasticity.
conclusionsWe report that an objective non-invasive determinant of skin elasticity is independently associated with measures of lung function, pulmonary emphysema, and biomarkers of inflammation and tissue proteolysis in tobacco-exposed individuals. Loss of skin elasticity is a novel observation that may link the common pathological processes that drive tissue elastolysis in the extracellular matrix of the skin and lung in emphysema-susceptible individuals.
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