COPD Health Center

Things that increase your risk for COPD include those you can control, such as smoking, and others that you cannot control, such as a family history of COPD.

Risks you can control

Tobacco smoking is the most important risk factor for COPD. Compared to smoking, other risks are minor.

• About 15 to 20 out of 100 cigarette smokers get COPD with symptoms.³ Some studies show that up to half of long-term smokers older than age 60 get COPD.⁴
• Pipe and cigar smokers have less risk of getting COPD than cigarette smokers. But they still have more risk than nonsmokers.
• Smoking both tobacco and marijuana increases the risk of COPD more than smoking either one.⁵
• The risk for COPD increases with both the amount of tobacco you smoke each day and the number of years you have smoked.

See a graph on how smoking affects the ability to breathe .

For more information, see the topic Quitting Smoking.

Risks you can partly control

• Outside air pollution. Air pollution may make COPD worse. It may increase the risk of a flare-up, or COPD exacerbation, when your symptoms quickly get worse and stay worse. Try not to be outside when air pollution levels are high.
• Indoor air pollution. Have good ventilation in your home to avoid indoor air pollution.
• Secondhand smoke. It is not yet known whether secondhand smoke can lead to COPD. But a large study showed that children who were exposed to secondhand smoke were more likely to get emphysema than children who were not exposed.⁶ And people who are exposed to secondhand smoke for a long time are more likely to have breathing problems and respiratory diseases.
• Occupational hazards. If your work exposes you to chemical fumes or dust, use safety equipment to reduce the amount of fumes and dust you breathe.

Risks you can't control

• Family history of COPD. Some people may be more at risk than others for getting the disease, especially if they have low levels of the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin (alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency), a disorder that runs in families.
• Preterm birth. Preterm babies usually need to have long-term oxygen therapy because their lungs are not fully developed. This therapy can cause lung damage (neonatal chronic lung disease) that can increase the risk for COPD later in life.
• Asthma . People with asthma or with airways that narrow in response to environmental triggers, such as pollen, rarely progress to COPD.