New Understandings of the Natural History and Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most important chronic diseases of adults and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. The major exogenous risk factor for COPD is cigarette smoking, although only a minority of smokers develop clinically significant COPD. Differences in the intensity of exposure to cigarette smoke and other exogenous risk factors account for some of this variability in the response to smoking; however, a growing body of literature suggests that host factors play a major role in influencing susceptibility to COPD among smokers. In addition to the well-established role of severe α1-protease inhibitor (α1-PI) deficiency in causing earlyonset emphysema, case-control studies have found a number of other candidate genes to be associated with COPD. At present, the importance of these genes to COPD pathogenesis has not been conclusively established.

Key Words:

COPD - epidemiology - genetics