A Lleida study concludes that there is a proportion of non-smokers among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Early identification of these people would facilitate the implementation of measures to prevent their progression

A study, carried out by family doctors, epidemiologists and pneumologists from the Catalan Health Institute and the Department of Health of Lleida, concludes that there is a high proportion of non-smokers among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) . This same research indicates that older women, with lower academic training and with a lower severity of the disease, would be those who would be more at risk of developing the disease without having ever smoked.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease with a high mortality worldwide. It is currently the fourth leading cause of death and it is estimated that in 2020 it will occupy the third place. COPD is associated with smoking in most cases, but there are studies that conclude that a considerable proportion of the affected people has no relationship with smoking, especially among women.

Precisely this Lleida study, published in the Atención Primaria magazine, has studied the different risk factors that are associated with the disease in those patients who have never smoked. The study, supervised by the boss of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Response to Public Health Emergencies in Lleida and Alt Pirineu i Aran, Pere Godoy, has included 512 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from the Basic Area of Health Pla d'Urgell , of which 33.2% had never smoked.

The study concludes that there is a high percentage of non-smokers among patients with chronic bronchitis. Early identification of people with a greater risk of developing the disease would facilitate the implementation of measures aimed at preventing their progression from the disease.

"The lower level of studies and the female sex could be considered as indicators of greater exposure to factors such as indoor pollution or smoke in private kitchens, which would deserve more detailed studies" explained Josep Montserrat-Capdevila, first author of the article.

The researchers who have carried out the study are also part of the University Institute for Primary Care Research (IDIAP) Jordi Gol, the Institute of Biomedical Research of Lleida (IRBLleida), the University of Lleida (UdL ), the University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova of Lleida, the Epidemiology Unit of the Cardiology Service of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and the Center for Biomedical Research in the Network of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES).

Reference article: Montserrat-Capdevila J, et al. Prevalencia y características de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica en no fumadores. Aten Primaria. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aprim.2017.10.012