Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk factors

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [2]; Philip Marcus, M.D., M.P.H. [3]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [4]

Overview

Common risk factors in the development of COPD are cigarette smoking, occupational pollutants, air pollution and genetics. Other risk factors are increasing age, male gender, allergy and repeated airway infection.

Risk Factors

Common risk factors

Cigarette smoking

A primary factor of COPD is chronic tobacco smoking. In the United States, around 90% of cases of COPD are due to smoking. Not all smokers will develop COPD, but continuous smokers have at least a 25% risk.

Occupational pollutants

Some occupational pollutants, such as cadmium and silica, have shown to be a contributing risk factor for COPD. The people at highest risk for these pollutants include:

• Coal workers
• Construction workers
• Metal workers
• Cotton workers

However, in most cases these pollutants are combined with cigarette smoking further increasing the chance of developing COPD.These occupations are commonly associated with other respiratory diseases, particularly pneumoconiosis (black lung disease).

Air pollution

• Urban air pollution may be a contributing factor for COPD as it is thought to impair the development of the lung function. In developing countries indoor air pollution, usually due to biomass fuel, has been linked to COPD, especially in women.

Genetics

• Very rarely, there may be a deficiency in an enzyme known as alpha 1-antitrypsin which causes a form of COPD.

Diet

A recent French study conducted over 12 years with almost 43,000 men concluded that eating a Mediterranean diet "halves the risk of serious lung disease like emphysema and bronchitis".

Less common risk factors

• Increasing age
• Male gender
• Allergy
• Repeated airway infection
• General impaired lung function