COPD smoker cough Even non smokers often affected

Risk factors of COPD examined - Women with special disease risk
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly known as smoker's cough, but non-smokers may also become ill. Violent coughing in the morning with severe sputum and increased respiratory distress are possible indications of the disease. Canadian scientists have now published a study in the journal "Thorax" which examines which risk factors in COPD play a role alongside tobacco consumption. Women in particular seem to be more vulnerable to certain influences.

The research team led by Wan C. Tan from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, reports that little data was available on the risk factors for non-smoking COPD. In their study, they therefore analyzed, based on the data from 5,176 persons over the age of 40 from the population-based Canadian cohort study, which factors are associated with an increased risk of disease and the differences between non-smokers and smokers.

Almost one third of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases are non-smokers. (Image: bilderzwerg / fotolia.com)

Nearly a third of COPD patients are non-smokers
The scientists observed a prevalence of COPD development of 6.4% for non-smokers (lifetime exposure less than 1/20 pack year). The smokers, however, were more than twice as likely to suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nevertheless, it should be noted that 27 percent of COPD patients were non-smokers. In general, there was a higher risk of developing pre-existing conditions of asthma, low education and with increasing age - regardless of whether the patients were non-smokers or smokers, the researchers report.

Other risk factors of COPD
Among the non-smokers, however, further risk factors for COPD could be determined. Thus longer hospital stays due to diseases of the respiratory tract in childhood were accompanied by an increased COPD risk later in life. In addition, contact with secondhand smoke in women resulted in a significant increase in the risk of disease, while men did not present any corresponding risk here. Likewise, the burdens of heating with biomass such as coal or wood, in which a lot of particulate matter is released, caused an increased disease risk exclusively in women.

The current data analysis confirms the prevalence of COPD among non-smokers and also defines common as well as gender-specific risk factors for COPD, the scientists conclude. It has also been shown that in COPD patients who are non-smokers, so-called emphysema occurs much less frequently and, if necessary, a targeted adaptation of the therapy can be useful here, reports the Canadian research team. (Fp)