VEGFA and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: In addition to inflammation and structural remodeling that occur in COPD, HIF-1α expression has also been shown to be increased in basal and goblet cells in the lungs of smokers with COPD compared with healthy smokers, with expression localized almost exclusively to areas of airway remodeling [19, 35], and in positive association with expression of VEGF [36].