The above findings were also confirmed in a different trial [65] in which white blood cell (WBC) count and levels of CRP, IL-6, IL-8, fibrinogen, and TNF-a were measured in peripheral blood in 1755 COPD patients, showing that the exacerbation frequency was substantially higher in patients who were persistently inflamed than in those who were not. This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.