Following is a list of causes or underlying conditions (see also Misdiagnosis of underlying causes of COPD) that could possibly cause COPD includes:
Other conditions that might have COPD as a complication may, potentially, be an underlying cause of COPD. Our database lists the following as having COPD as a complication of that condition:
Causes: COPD:
The number one cause of COPD is smoking. Other contributing factors in its development or exacerbation (increase in severity) of include long-term exposure to other lung irritants, such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or dust. It is also recommended to avoid long-term exposure to second hand smoke. COPD is not infectious and cannot be passed from person to person.
Article excerpts about the
causes of COPD:
When COPD develops, the walls of the small airways and alveoli lose their elasticity. The airway walls thicken, closing off some of the smaller air passages and narrowing larger ones. The passageways also become plugged with mucus. Air continues to get into alveoli when the lung expands during inhalation, but it is often unable to escape during exhalation because the air passages tend to collapse during exhalation, trapping the "stale" air in the lungs. These abnormalities create two serious problems which affect gas exchange:
Pulmonary function studies of large groups of people show that lung function--the ability to move air into and out of the lungs--declines slowly with age even in healthy nonsmokers. Because healthy nonsmokers have excess lung capacity, this gradual loss of function does not lead to any symptoms. In smokers, however, lung function tends to worsen much more rapidly. If a smoker stops smoking before serious COPD develops, the rate at which lung function declines returns to almost normal. Unfortunately, because some lung damage cannot be reversed, pulmonary function is unlikely to return completely to normal. (Source: excerpt from COPD: What Goes Wrong?: NHLBI)
The following medical news items are relevant to causes of COPD:
As with all medical conditions, there may be many causal factors. Further relevant information on causes of COPD may be found in:
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the causes of COPD.
Predisposing factors include cigarette smoking, recurrent or chronic respiratory infections, air pollution, occupational exposure to chemicals, and allergies. Smoking is by far the most important of these factors — it impairs ciliary action and macrophage function, inflames airways, increases mucus production, destroys alveolar septae, and causes peribronchiolar fibrosis. Early inflammatory changes may reverse if the patient stops smoking before lung destruction is extensive. Familial and hereditary factors (such as deficiency of alpha1-antitrypsin) may also predispose a person to COPD.
The most common chronic lung disease, COPD (also known as chronic obstructive lung disease) affects an estimated 17 million Americans, and its incidence is rising. It affects more males than females, probably because until recently men were more likely to smoke heavily. COPD occurs mostly in people older than age 40.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Predisposing factors include cigarette smoking, recurrent or chronic respiratory tract infections, air pollution, occupations involving exposure to dusts or noxious gases, and allergies. Familial and hereditary factors (for example, deficiency of alpha1-antitrypsin) may also predispose a person to COPD.
Smoking is by far the most important of these factors; it impairs ciliary action and macrophage function and causes airway inflammation, increased mucus production, destruction of alveolar septae, and peribronchiolar fibrosis. Early inflammatory changes may reverse if the patient stops smoking before lung destruction is extensive.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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