How Non-Smokers Can get COPD
Smoking is the primary cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that eight out of every 10 COPD-related deaths can be linked back to smoking. That doesn’t mean non-smokers are immune to COPD, however. As many as 25% of Americans diagnosed with the disease never even touched a cigarette.
Here are four ways non-smokers can still get diagnosed with the disease:
- Secondhand smoke — According to the CDC, secondhand smoke is the cause of more than 7,000 deaths per year among Americans who don’t smoke — mostly because it exposes non-smokers to the same poisons and substances as if they were smoking a cigarette or pipe themselves.
- Air pollution — While air pollution can trigger a COPD flare-up, it can also cause the disease if people are exposed to it for long periods of time. Before venturing outside, check the cleanliness of the air in your area by visiting AirNow.gov. When inside, you can minimize pollution by regularly changing the filters in your air conditioner —use high-efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA) if you can — and keeping your house free of dust and cigarette smoke.
- Genetics — One study found that 5% of people living with COPD don’t produce enough alpha-1 antitrypsin, a protein that helps guard against lung damage, making them vulnerable to diseases such as COPD.
- Age — While getting older isn’t enough to cause the disease on its own, COPD is more common in people over the age of 40 who have smoked or been exposed to other dangerous chemicals and pollutants. This occurs because the lungs of a younger person often recover much faster from harmful irritants than those of people who are older.
Read the entire story on Healthline to learn more about non-smokers and their chances of getting COPD.
