Origins of COPD may lie in how some children's lungs develop, but only when they are exposed to polluted air
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious, incurable lung disease that is common in older people. However, researchers are learning that the origins of the disease may lie decades earlier in how children's lungs grow and develop.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) typically develops in adulthood due to smoking or long-term exposure to air pollution. However, new research presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress suggests that the origins of COPD might begin in early childhood. A study of 484 children from Basel, Switzerland found that those genetically predisposed to COPD showed reduced lung function growth between birth and age 6 if they lived in areas with high levels of air pollution, particularly fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
The researchers concluded that early-life environmental factors can amplify genetic susceptibility to COPD, potentially altering its development trajectory.
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