Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a human subject or the risk of a human subject to develop COPD comprising the steps of: —providing a sample from a human subject, —determining the amount of caspase-cleaved cytokeratin-18 (ccCK-18), histones, heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and/or heat shock protein 90 alpha (HSP90 alpha) in said sample, —diagnosing COPD when the amount of ccCK-18, histones, HSP27, HSP70 and/or HSP90 alpha is increased compared to the amount of ccCK-18, histones, HSP27, HSP70 and/or HSP90 alpha in healthy human subjects, or—diagnosing the risk to develop COPD when the amount of ccCK-18, histones and/or HSP70 is reduced compared to the amount of ccCK-18, histones and/or HSP70 in healthy human subjects.

Abstract: Method for diagnosing a cardiovascular disease in an individual comprising the steps of: providing a sample of an individual; determining the amount of cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) or fragments thereof and/or interleukin-1? precursor (IL-1? precursor) in the sample; comparing the amount of CK-18 or fragments thereof and/or IL-1? precursor in the sample to the amount of CK-18 or fragments thereof and/or IL-1? precursor present in a reference control of at least one individual not suffering from a cardiovascular disease; and diagnosing a cardiovascular disease if the amount of CK-18 or fragments thereof in the sample is increased in comparison to the amount of CK-18 or fragments thereof in the reference control and/or the amount of IL-1? precursor in the sample is decreased in comparison to the amount of IL-1? precursor in the reference control.

Abstract: Method for diagnosing the risk of a human subject to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) comprising the steps of:—providing a sample from a human subject,—determining the amount of CD4+CD28null T-cells in said sample,—diagnosing the risk to develop COPD when the amount of CD4+CD28null T-cells is reduced compared to the amount of CD4+CD28null T-cells in healthy human subjects.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a human subject or the risk of a human subject to develop COPD comprising the steps of: —providing a sample from a human subject, —determining the amount of caspase-cleaved cytokeratin-18 (ccCK-18), histones, heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and/or heat shock protein 90 alpha (HSP90 alpha) in said sample, —diagnosing COPD when the amount of ccCK-18, histones, HSP27, HSP70 and/or HSP90 alpha is increased compared to the amount of ccCK-18, histones, HSP27, HSP70 and/or HSP90 alpha in healthy human subjects, or—diagnosing the risk to develop COPD when the amount of ccCK-18, histones and/or HSP70 is reduced compared to the amount of ccCK-18, histones and/or HSP70 in healthy human subjects.