Smoking and COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. COPD includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.¹

With COPD, less air flows through the airways—the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs—because of one or more of the following:²

• The airways and tiny air sacs in the lungs lose their ability to stretch and shrink back.
• The walls between many of the air sacs are destroyed.
• The walls of the airways become thick and inflamed (irritated and swollen).
• The airways make more mucus than usual, which can clog them and block airflow.

In the early stages of COPD, there may be no symptoms, or you may only have mild symptoms. As COPD worsens, the symptoms may become more severe. Symptoms of COPD include:²

• A cough that lingers for a long time and doesn’t go away completely, or a cough that produces a lot of mucus
• Shortness of breath, especially with physical activity
• Wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe)
• Tightness in the chest

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.²

COPD is usually caused by cigarette smoking, though long-term exposure to other lung irritants, like secondhand smoke, can also contribute to COPD.^2,3 As many as 1 out of 4 Americans with COPD never smoked cigarettes.⁴ However, smoking accounts for as many as 8 out of 10 COPD-related deaths³ and 38% of the nearly 16 million U.S. adults diagnosed with COPD report current smoking.⁵

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.^3,6

The best way to prevent COPD is to never start smoking, and if you do smoke, to quit.⁶ Talk with your doctor or other health care professional about resources that can help you quit, like counseling and medication. Also, stay away from secondhand smoke, which is smoke from burning tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, hookah, or pipes.^3,7 Secondhand smoke also is smoke that has been exhaled, or breathed out, by a person smoking, or that comes from the end of a lit tobacco product.^2,7

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

• Quit smoking. For people who smoke, the most important part of treatment is smoking cessation.
• Avoid tobacco smoke and other air pollutants at home and at work.
• Ask your doctor about pulmonary rehabilitation⁸, which is a personalized treatment program that teaches COPD management strategies to improve quality of life. Programs may include plans that teach people how to breathe better and conserve their energy, as well as provide advice on food and exercise.
• Take medication. Symptoms such as coughing or wheezing can be treated with medication.
• Avoid lung infections. Lung infections can cause serious problems in people with COPD. Certain vaccines, such as flu and pneumococcal vaccines, are especially important for people with COPD. Learn more about vaccination recommendations. Respiratory infections should be treated with antibiotics, if appropriate.
• Use supplemental oxygen. Some people may need to use a portable oxygen tank if their blood oxygen levels are low.

The following resources provide information and support to people with COPD and their caregivers:

• To learn more about COPD, visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s COPD Learn More Breathe Better web page.
• To find peer support, an online community, and events in your area, visit the COPD Foundation website and 360Social.
• To join a network of patients affected by COPD, visit the COPD Patient-Powered Research Network, which is a lung health research registry.