About 9 in 10 people who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are, or used to be, heavy smokers.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Honig HG, Ingram RH.
Chronic Bronchitis, emphysema and airways obstruction.
In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 15th edition. McGraw-Hill, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ Breathing in smoke from a smoker near you (secondhand smoke) also can cause COPD.

The poisons in cigarette smoke harm the lungs in many ways. The damage they do leads to COPD. For example, they can make your airways swell up and make them rough and sore on the inside. Then your airways make more mucus and get blocked.

If you give up smoking, your chances of getting COPD go down. But even after about 10 years of not smoking, 1 in 10 people who used to smoke get COPD.

Not all smokers get COPD. A lot depends on how your body handles smoke and poisons. This is controlled by the

 

 

 

 

 

genes
Your genes are the parts of your cells that contain instructions for how your body works. Genes are housed on chromosomes, structures that sit in the nucleus at the middle of each of your cells. You have 23 pairs of chromosomes in your normal cells, each of which has thousands of genes. You get one set of chromosomes, and all of the genes that are on them, from each of your parents.

 

 

 

 

 

genes you've inherited from your parents.

Although smoking is the biggest cause of COPD, air pollution can play a part, especially in places where there is a lot of heavy industry.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Honig HG, Ingram RH.
Chronic Bronchitis, emphysema and airways obstruction.
In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 15th edition. McGraw-Hill, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ In these areas, there tend to be more harmful particles and harmful gases in the air, such as sulfur dioxide.

Like cigarette smoke, these gases irritate your airways and make them swollen. Then the airways make more mucus. The chemicals also damage the walls of the tiny sacs in your lungs so that they can't hold air so well.

People who work near harmful dusts, chemicals or gases are more likely to get COPD than those who don't.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Honig HG, Ingram RH.
Chronic Bronchitis, emphysema and airways obstruction.
In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 15th edition. McGraw-Hill, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ Like cigarette smoke, these things irritate your airways and make them swell. They also increase mucus in the airways and damage the walls of the sacs in the lungs so that they can't hold air so well.

If you work in an industry like farming or mining, where you could be exposed to harmful substances, be sure to follow safety advice to protect your lungs.

If you get a lot of chest

 

 

 

 

 

infection
You get an infection when viruses, bacteria, fungi or other tiny organisms get into your body. These bugs are so tiny that you can't see them without a microscope. For example, an infection in your airways causes the common cold. And an infection in your skin can cause rashes such as athlete's foot.

 

 

 

 

 

infections, you may be more likely to get COPD, especially if you smoke. Getting

 

 

 

 

 

bacteria
Bacteria are tiny organisms. There are lots of different types. Some are harmful and can cause disease. But some bacteria live in your body without causing any harm.

 

 

 

 

 

bacterial or

 

 

 

 

 

viruses
Viruses are microbes (tiny organisms) that need the cells of humans or other animals to exist. They use the machinery of cells to reproduce. Then they spread to other cells in the body.

 

 

 

 

 

viral infections can lead to

 

 

 

 

 

chronic bronchitis
Your doctor may say that you have chronic bronchitis if you have a cough that brings up phlegm, if it lasts for three months or more, and you have had it twice in two years. Smoking is a common cause of chronic bronchitis.

 

 

 

 

 

chronic bronchitis. If you have that, your lungs produce too much mucus. That makes it harder for you to breathe.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Honig HG, Ingram RH.
Chronic Bronchitis, emphysema and airways obstruction.
In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 15th edition. McGraw-Hill, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ See Chronic bronchitis to learn more about this disease.

Smoking is such an important risk factor for COPD, you might think that nearly everyone who smokes would get it. But only about 1 in 5 smokers develop COPD.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Honig HG, Ingram RH.
Chronic Bronchitis, emphysema and airways obstruction.
In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 15th edition. McGraw-Hill, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ It seems that some people are more likely to be hurt by cigarette smoke than others.

Doctors think that, somehow, the

 

 

 

 

 

genes
Your genes are the parts of your cells that contain instructions for how your body works. Genes are housed on chromosomes, structures that sit in the nucleus at the middle of each of your cells. You have 23 pairs of chromosomes in your normal cells, each of which has thousands of genes. You get one set of chromosomes, and all of the genes that are on them, from each of your parents.

 

 

 

 

 

genes these people inherited from their parents make their risk greater. If you smoke (or used to smoke), and if you have a close relative (mother, father, brother or sister) with COPD, you are more likely to get COPD than someone who smokes but doesn't have a relative with COPD. Scientists don't know yet which genes are involved.

One rare type of COPD is definitely linked to your genes. It is called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and it causes

 

 

 

 

 

emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term disease of the lungs. The walls of the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs become thin and less elastic. This makes it harder for oxygen to get in your blood and carbon dioxide to get out of your body. It makes you cough and feel short of breath. Smoking is the most common cause of emphysema.

 

 

 

 

 

emphysema, but not

 

 

 

 

 

chronic bronchitis
Your doctor may say that you have chronic bronchitis if you have a cough that brings up phlegm, if it lasts for three months or more, and you have had it twice in two years. Smoking is a common cause of chronic bronchitis.

 

 

 

 

 

chronic bronchitis. See Emphysema for more.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin is a chemical that is made mainly in the

 

 

 

 

 

liver
Your liver is a large organ that sits on the right side of your body, just below your rib cage. It does several important things, including processing and storing nutrients from food, and breaking down chemicals, such as alcohol.

 

 

 

 

 

liver. Its job is to destroy a protein in the lungs called elastase. Elastase helps to repair old tissue and get new tissue to grow. But it needs to be kept under control by alpha-1 antitrypsin and other chemicals like it. If there is little or no alpha-1 antitrypsin around, elastase can be very destructive. It punches holes in the walls of the little air sacs in your lungs. This leads to emphysema.

Between 1 in 2,000 and 1 in 7,000 people of European descent have alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, which they inherited from their parents. The condition is very rare in people of Asian or African descent.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Honig HG, Ingram RH.
Chronic Bronchitis, emphysema and airways obstruction.
In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 15th edition. McGraw-Hill, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

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