Emphysema how does smoking cause it

Smoking is the biggest risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD , which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It increases your risk of both developing and dying from COPD. Approximately 85 to 90 percent of COPD cases are caused by smoking. Female smokers are nearly 13 times as likely to die from COPD as women who have never smoked; male smokers are nearly 12 times as likely to die from COPD as men who have never smoked.

This November your donation goes even further to improve lung health and defeat lung cancer. Double Your Gift. Your tax-deductible donation funds lung disease and lung cancer research, new treatments, lung health education, and more. Join over , people who receive the latest news about lung health, including COVID, research, air quality, inspiring stories and resources. Thank you! You will now receive email updates from the American Lung Association. Select your location to view local American Lung Association events and news near you.

Our service is free and we are here to help you. Section Menu. Symptoms of COPD include: 2. Not everyone with these symptoms has COPD. A doctor can determine if you have COPD or another condition that has similar symptoms.

How severe your COPD symptoms are depends on how much lung damage you have. If you continue smoking, the damage will occur faster than if you stop smoking. COPD is usually caused by cigarette smoking, though long-term exposure to other lung irritants, like secondhand smoke, can also contribute to COPD. Smoking and secondhand smoke exposure during childhood and teenage years can slow lung growth and development.

This can increase the risk of developing COPD in adulthood. The best way to prevent COPD is to never start smoking, and if you do smoke, to quit. Also, stay away from secondhand smoke, which is smoke from burning tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, hookah, or pipes. Geri M. She would get easily winded, and at age 54, she had to quit working as a mail carrier because it was too taxing on her health.

COPD treatment can alleviate symptoms, decrease the frequency and severity of exacerbations, and increase exercise tolerance. Treatment options that your physician may consider include: 1.

The following resources provide information and support to people with COPD and their caregivers:. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

The more times you try to quit, the more likely you are to be successful. Secondhand smoke will trigger more COPD flare-ups and cause more damage to your lungs. So you need to take steps to avoid secondhand smoke. If there are smokers at your workplace, ask someone about policies regarding if and where smoking is allowed.

Tips to help with secondhand smoke at work are:. Pulmonary rehabilitation. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; chap PMID: www. Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: report. Accessed October 22, COPD: clinical diagnosis and management. Updated by: David C. Editorial team. Smoking and COPD.

There are many ways to quit smoking , including: Medicines Nicotine replacement therapy Support groups , counseling, or stop-smoking classes in person or online It is not easy, but anyone can quit. Newer medicines and programs can be very helpful. Avoid Secondhand Smoke. Make your home and car smoke-free zones.