In the peripheral blood of patients with COPD, elevated levels inflammatory mediators such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were shown (Gan et al., 2004 ▶; Ghobadi et al., 2017 ▶). Here, IL1B is linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.