In ever smokers, 17.8 % (1663/9169) had COPD (including incident and prevalent cases), whereas in never smokers the prevalence of COPD was 6.4 % (318/4997).
About 10 to 15 percent of smokers develop COPD, but the optimal strategy to identify those most at risk is unknown.
Do all smokers have COPD? Not all smokers – even those who smoke heavily – have COPD. In fact, research shows that nearly one-third of cases occur in people who've never smoked. That's because other factors can be involved in the development of COPD.
There is mounting evidence that the rate of progression of COPD can be reduced when patients at risk of developing the disease stop smoking, while lifelong smokers have a 50% probability of developing COPD during their lifetime.
People with larger airways relative to lung size may be able to withstand lung damage from smoking and still have enough breathing reserve to prevent them from developing COPD.
Our estimates indicate that, after 25 years of smoking, at least 25% of smokers without initial disease will have clinically significant COPD and 30–40% will have any COPD.
Quitting smoking cannot completely reverse COPD, but it can help slow the progression of the disease and may improve the body's response to treatment. As well as preventing any further damage to the lungs, quitting smoking can improve the immune system.
The mystery of why some people appear to have healthy lungs despite a lifetime of smoking has been explained by UK scientists. The analysis of more than 50,000 people showed favourable mutations in people's DNA enhanced lung function and masked the deadly impact of smoking.
However, because the lung function lost during the time the patient smoked is never fully recovered and because lung function declines with age (even in nonsmokers), COPD patients may develop additional symptoms and progress to a higher COPD severity class, even after many years of smoking abstinence.
Although any damage done to your lungs and airways cannot be reversed, giving up smoking can help prevent further damage. This may be all the treatment that's needed in the early stages of COPD, but it's never too late to stop – even people with more advanced COPD will benefit from quitting.
While lung tissue cells do regenerate, there's no way a smoker can return to having the lungs of a non-smoker. At best, they will carry a few scars from their time smoking, and at worst, they're stuck with certain breathing difficulties for the rest of their lives.
It's never too late to get benefits from quitting smoking. Quitting, even in later life, can significantly lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer over time and reduce your risk of death.
Stage 1 Symptoms are mild and often unnoticed, except during times of exertion. These include mild shortness of breath and a nagging dry cough. Stage 2 Shortness of breath worsens, accompanied by a persistent cough and phlegm production. Flare-ups can cause changes in phlegm color.
Although COPD is terminal, people may not always die of the condition directly, or of oxygen deprivation. Some people with COPD have other medical conditions, particularly cardiovascular disease. In fact, within 5 years of diagnosis, COPD is also an independent risk factor for sudden cardiac death.
The exact length of time you can live with COPD depends on your age, health, and symptoms. Especially if your COPD is diagnosed early, if you have mild stage COPD, and your disease is well managed and controlled, you may be able to live for 10 or even 20 years after diagnosis.
Doctors don't know exactly how smoking destroys air sac linings, but studies show that smokers are about six times more likely to develop emphysema than are nonsmokers. Doctors don't know why some smokers get emphysema and others don't.
Which has worse symptoms? Because emphysema is a late stage of COPD, the signs and symptoms are similar. If you have emphysema, you are already experiencing COPD symptoms, though earlier stages of COPD will not have as dramatic an impact as the degree of tissue degeneration is minimal.
"Our data suggest that these individuals may have survived for so long in spite of their heavy smoking because they managed to suppress further mutation accumulation." They may simply have "very proficient systems for repairing DNA damage or detoxifying cigarette smoke," he said.
The genetic sequences identified in healthy older smokers may have a protective effect, which is why they have survived despite the significant ill effects of their habit.
Over time, your lungs and overall health can recover even further: After just 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure begin to drop. After a few days, the carbon monoxide levels in your blood will return to normal. After two weeks to three months, your circulation will improve, and your lung function will ...
“This test tells people you are developing early emphysema, and it's like a smoke alarm—when it goes off, it doesn't necessarily tell you there's a fire, but you have to pay attention to it.” Fifteen to 20 percent of smokers develop emphysema, and the longer one smokes, the higher their risk of developing the disease.
So relatively, you can stay at the mild stage of the disease forever, with lots of work and a little luck. We measure lung function in how much air you can blow out in the first second of expiration (the FEV1 on a spirometry or PFT). We measure it in liters.