The Link Between Smoking and COPD

Learn how smoking can lead to COPD and why it's crucial to quit if you get a COPD diagnosis.
By Madeline Vann, MPH
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD

The majority of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cases can be traced directly back to one culprit: smoking. As many as 9 out of 10 cases of COPD are due to smoking cigarettes.

Why Smoking Causes COPD

Smoking cigarettes leads to changes in your cells that cause swelling and inflammation in your airways and lungs. This gradually leads to a loss of lung function. COPD can be a stealthy disease: Because the lungs have so much capacity, it can take a long time before you notice the damage, usually in the form of shortness of breath.

These damaging changes cannot be reversed, although quitting smoking reduces the amount of inflammation that occurs, so quitting as soon as you know you have COPD helps you stay healthier than if you continued to smoke. In fact, the most important step a smoker can take after getting a COPD diagnosis is to quit. Not only will it make breathing easier, but it will cut down on the risk of severe exacerbations (episodes when symptoms get worse). People who have been longtime or heavy smokers are at increased risk for severe exacerbations.

This information and more can be found at www.organizedwisdom.com.

For help with quitting please to go to www.ffsonline.org or www.ashline.org.