At a glance
- Cigarette smoking is a common cause of COPD, leading to as many as 8 out of 10 COPD-related deaths.
- Quitting smoking reduces the risk of COPD and also benefits people who have COPD.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overview
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. COPD includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and in some cases, asthma.1
With COPD, less air flows through the airways that carry air in and out of your lungs. This happens because of one or more of the following:2
- The airways and tiny air sacs in the lungs lose their ability to stretch and shrink back.
- The walls between many of the air sacs are destroyed.
- The walls of the airways become thick and inflamed (irritated and swollen).
- The airways make more mucus than usual. The mucus can clog airways and block air flow.
In the early stages of COPD, there may be no symptoms, or only mild symptoms. As COPD worsens, the symptoms may become more severe. The severity of COPD symptoms depends on the amount of damage to the lungs. Continued smoking leads to lung damage worsening faster than not smoking.3
Smoking, secondhand smoke exposure, and COPD
Cigarette smoking is a common cause of COPD.2 Smoking causes as many as 8 out of 10 COPD-related deaths.4 However, as many as 1 out of 4 Americans with COPD never smoked cigarettes.3
Smoking and secondhand smoke exposure during childhood and teenage years can slow lung growth and development. This can increase the risk of developing COPD in adulthood.5
The best way to prevent COPD is to never start smoking. If you smoke, quitting is the most important action you can take.6 It is also important to avoid secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is smoke from burning tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.147
Quitting smoking can protect people from COPD
Quitting smoking is one of the most important actions people can take to improve their health. This is true for all people who smoke, regardless of their age, how long they have smoked, or how much they smoke.6 Quitting smoking also reduces the risk of developing COPD.6 For patients diagnosed with COPD, quitting smoking slows COPD's progression. It also reduces the loss of lung function over time.6
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What Is COPD? Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/copd/about/index.html
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. COPD. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/copd
- Wheaton AG, Liu Y, Croft JB, et al. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Smoking Status - United States, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68(24):533–538. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6824a1
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2014. Printed with corrections, January 2014. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK179276/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK179276.pdf
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: Report of the Surgeon General. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2012. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/2012/consumer_booklet/pdfs/consumer.pdf
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2020. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-cessation-sgr-full-report.pdf
- National Toxicology Program. Report on Carcinogens, Tobacco-Related Exposures, Fourteenth Edition. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2016. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles/tobaccorelatedexposures.pdf