COPD — Not Just in Smokers

We tend to forget that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not limited to smokers. To assess the prevalence of COPD in never-smokers, researchers performed spirometry in population-based samples of adults (age, ≥40) in 14 countries on four continents. Ten thousand people participated; 34% of men and 66% of women had never smoked.

Among never-smokers, the overall prevalence of COPD (defined as postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV₁] to forced vital capacity [FVC] <70%) was 12% (6% mild; 6% moderate-to-severe). In contrast, among those who had ever smoked, the prevalence of COPD was 24% (10% mild; 14% moderate-to-severe). The prevalence of COPD among never-smokers rose with advancing age. Never-smokers with m…