If you’re consistently exposed to both wood smoke and tobacco smoke, your wellbeing is at a greater risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is according to a new Colombian study, scheduled to be presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2013 International Conference, which also found that those exposed to both kinds of smoke are also at risk to experiencing more frequent and severe symptoms of the disease, as well as more severe airflow obstruction, than those who are exposed to only one type of smoke.
According to study lead author Carlos Torres-Duque, MD, director of research at the Fundacion Neumologica Colombiana in Bogota, ‘Although previous studies have shown a definite link between wood smoke exposure and the development of COPD, those studies were case-controls and case series of patients with similar disease or health profiles. This new data derives from a population-based study that looked at wood smoke exposure and the overall prevalence of COPD, as well as the characteristics of the disease and those who suffer from it.’
Using data from the PREPOCOL (Prevalencia de la Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica en Colombia) study – which evaluated the prevalence of COPD among the adult residents of five Colombian cities – the researchers investigated 5,539 subjects, 8.9% of whom were diagnosed with COPD, and divided them into four groups. 30.9% of participants were exposed to wood smoke and who had never smoked tobacco, 18.7% were exposed to tobacco smoke but had no exposure to wood smoke, 29.8% had been exposed to both types of smoke and 20.6% had exposure to neither type of smoke.
Dr Torres-Duque explained, ‘In the population we studied, exposure to wood smoke was identified as an independent risk factor for developing COPD, both in women and men. In addition, the prevalence of COPD was significantly higher in those who were exposed to both wood and tobacco smoke and those with both exposures had more symptoms and more severe disease than those who were exposed to only one type of smoke.’ Dr Torres-Duque added, ‘It is also possible that the responses of the lungs and airways could vary, based on the pollutants to which they’re exposed.’
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