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• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
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Take the steps needed to make breathing easier and live a longer and more active life.

Knowing your risk is the first step toward prevention.

Early detection of COPD is key to successful treatment and better quality of life.

Knowing your risk of developing COPD is an important step in taking the preventive actions needed to make breathing easier and living a longer and more active life.

Many of those who are at risk for developing COPD have never heard of the disease and some may even have COPD, but do not realize it. Some of the things that increase your risk of developing COPD are:

• Smoking: is the most significant risk factor for COPD. The longer and more people smoke, the greater their risk.
• Other irritants: can also increase risk of COPD. These include pipe and cigar smoke, secondhand smoke and air pollution. People who work in environments where there is an excessive amount of dust, fumes, smoke, gases, vapors or mists in the air they breath, may also be at increased risk. When exposed to substances in the workplace that can cause COPD, those who also smoke are at a much greater risk of developing the disease.
• Age: COPD develops slowly over many years so most people who have COPD are at least 40 years old when symptoms begin. But people younger than 40 can also develop the disease.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): is a severe form of acid reflux disease that can make COPD worse and may even cause it in some people.
• Genetics: A rare genetic disorder known as alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is the source of a few cases of COPD. A family history of COPD has been found to be an independent risk factor for the development of COPD highlighting the role of genetics. Researchers have indeed found common genetic variants that confer increased risk of developing COPD. These are the ones included in the deCODEme Complete Scan.

Symptoms of COPD

Symptoms of COPD usually do not appear until lung damage has already occurred, and symptoms generally worsen over time. Symptoms may vary, but can include:

• Chronic, persistent cough, sometimes called a “smoker’s cough”
• Increased mucus, including:
  • An increase in the amount of sputum produced
  • An increase in the thickness or stickiness of sputum
  • A change in sputum color to yellow or green or the presence of blood in the sputum
• Shortness of breath, especially during physical activity
• Wheezing
• A tight feeling in the chest

If you have any of the symptoms described above, call your doctor or clinic and report your symptoms promptly. If you are over age 45, are a current or former smoker, and have other risk factors, your doctor may decide that you should be tested for the disease. The test for COPD is called spirometry, which is a simple, noninvasive breathing test that measures the amount of air a person can blow out of the lungs (volume) and how fast he or she can blow it out (flow). Based on this test, your doctor can tell if you have COPD, and if so, how severe it is. Early detection of COPD is key to successful treatment and a longer and better quality of life.

Prevention and treatment of COPD

As smoking is the major risk factor for COPD, many cases of the disease could be prevented by not smoking. The single most important preventive action therefore is not to start smoking, to quit if you do smoke, and to avoid second-hand smoking and severely polluted air at all times. Secondly, early detection of symptoms is also important. COPD is often not detected until the disease is advanced because people do not recognize the early warning signs. Sometimes people think they are short of breath or less able to do the things they are used to because they are getting older. However, shortness of breath or constant coughing is abnormal at any age.

If COPD is found early there is much that can be done to treat and help manage the disease. Your doctor is the best person to direct your care according to your needs and can select the treatment that will be most helpful.

More information

You can find out more information by talking with your doctor and visiting these Web sites:

• About COPD from the American Lung Association
• About COPD from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
• Facts about COPD from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention
• Frequently asked questions about lung health from the National Lung Health Education Program
• What is COPD from the National Lung Health Education Program

Scientific references

• Cho MH, Boutaoui N, Klanderman BJ, Sylvia JS, Ziniti JP, Hersh CP, DeMeo DL, Hunninghake GM, Litonjua AA, Sparrow D, Lange C, Won S, Murphy JR, Beaty TH, Regan EA, Make BJ, Hokanson JE, Crapo JD, Kong X, Anderson WH, Tal-Singer R, Lomas DA, Bakke P, Gulsvik A, Pillai SG, Silverman EK. Variants in FAM13A are associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nature Genetics. 2010 Mar;42(3):200-2.

This content was last reviewed on March 08, 2011.

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