COPD

QUESTION:  Are women more susceptible to COPD? ANSWER:  Studies have shown that women smokers have lower lung function rates than men who have smoked the same number of pack years. Research has also demonstrated that women have a greater degree of airway of irritability. Doctors have suggested that a woman’s naturally…

QUESTION: Does COPD increase my risk of developing lung cancer? ANSWER:  Sadly this is true. We often find lung cancer accidentally when COPD patients develop pneumonia. We do an X-ray and find a lung cancer nodule. These days, a CT scan can pick up lung cancer when it is in early…

QUESTION:  If I don’t inhale, will smoking be less dangerous? ANSWER: This is a dangerous fallacy. The smoke from cigarettes still affects the upper airways. The mouth, throat, and nose can all be sites of cancers. Even though you don’t make a conscious effort to inhale, some of the smoke will…

QUESTION:  I haven’t smoked for ten years. Can I still get COPD? ANSWER:  Unfortunately, yes. However, it is much less likely. It depends on how much damage there was before you gave up smoking, how long you smoked, and on the number of pack-years that you have accumulated. It also depends…