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Interest Grows in Genetics of COPD
While the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that only ten to twenty percent of smokers get Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, scientists now believe that within that group of smokers who develop COPD, genetic factors are likely to have been an influence.
Mary Manning, a 66-year-old St. Paul African American resident, has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) – the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the only cause of death on the rise. COPD is a slowly progressive disease of the airways that is characterized by a gradual loss of lung function. The term COPD includes chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive bronchitis, or emphysema, or combinations of these conditions.
In 2005, 11.6 million U.S. adults (aged 18 and over) were estimated to have COPD. There is no cure for COPD, although treatment can make the individual more comfortable. Although tobacco smoking is the most critical risk factor for both development and progression of COPD, asthma, exposure to ambient pollutants in the home and workplace, and respiratory infections are also key factors…
