People exposed to wood smoke, especially smokers, are not only at greater risk for COPD, but also may have changes to their genes (DNA) which increases the risk even more. The exposure can be from a number of sources, including home heating, cooking and even air pollution.
The combination of smoking, wood smoke exposure and genetic changes can increase the risk of COPD by a factor of 4 times.
The research conducted at Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute included 1800 current and former smokers between 40 and 75 years old. It is based on demographic and smoke exposure information, as well as sputum samples which were analyzed for epigenetic changes,
Source: American Thoracic Society (ATS) as reported in Med News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/194921.php
The combination of smoking, wood smoke exposure and genetic changes can increase the risk of COPD by a factor of 4 times.
The research conducted at Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute included 1800 current and former smokers between 40 and 75 years old. It is based on demographic and smoke exposure information, as well as sputum samples which were analyzed for epigenetic changes,
Source: American Thoracic Society (ATS) as reported in Med News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/194921.php
