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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffRisk factors for COPD include:
- Exposure to tobacco smoke. The most significant risk factor for COPD is long-term cigarette smoking. The more years you smoke and the more packs you smoke, the greater your risk. Pipe smokers, cigar smokers, marijuana smokers and people exposed to large amounts of secondhand smoke also are at risk.
- People with asthma who smoke. The combination of asthma, a chronic airway disease, and smoking increases the risk of COPD even more.
- Occupational exposure to dusts and chemicals. Long-term exposure to chemical fumes, vapors and dusts in the workplace can irritate and inflame your lungs.
- Age. COPD develops slowly over years, so most people are at least 35 to 40 years old when symptoms begin.
- Genetics. An uncommon genetic disorder known as alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is the source of some cases of COPD. Other genetic factors likely make certain smokers more susceptible to the disease.
References
- Balkissoon R, et al. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A concise review. Medical Clinics of North America. 2011;95:1125.
- Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=4. Accessed Dec. 2, 2012.
- What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/copd/printall-index.html. Accessed Dec. 2, 2012.
- Standards for the diagnosis and management of patients with COPD. American Thoracic Society. http://www.thoracic.org/clinical/copd-guidelines/index.php. Accessed Dec. 2, 2012.
- Hanley ME, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Pulmonary Medicine. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2003. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=575706. Accessed December 2, 2012.
- Foreman MG. Genes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Medical Clinics of North America. 2012;96:699.
- Rosenberg SR, et al. An integrated approach to the medical treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Medical Clinics of North America. 2012;96:811.
- Scanlon PD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 27, 2012.
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