Research published in the Lancet reveals deprivation and lung development in the womb are among important causes of killer lung disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and that smoking cannot bear all the blame, says the British Lung Foundation.
The paper entitled ‘International Variation in the prevalence of COPD’ shows that levels of COPD are higher than previously thought.
A second paper on COPD, ‘Poor airway function in early infancy and lung function by age 22 years’ suggests a person’s susceptibility to COPD can even start in the womb.
“There are people with COPD who have never smoked and this research shows that deprivation, dust exposure and lung development in the womb play a vital role in causing the disease,” says Dame Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation. “The research also highlights how much more work is needed to improve our understanding of how environmental, socioeconomic and other factors can cause COPD.”
The British Lung Foundation is adding its voice to the authors’ call for further research into the environmental, socioeconomic and other factors that can cause COPD.
Facts about COPD
- COPD is the UK’s fifth biggest killer – it kills more women than breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer
- There are an estimated 2 million people in the UK who have COPD but don’t know it
- Smoking is an important cause of COPD, but COPD can also be caused by exposure to airborne pollution, to harmful fumes or particles at home or at work, or by inheriting a genetic deficiency. Some research suggests that COPD may be related to childhood lung disease
