Easing Airway Assaults in COPD

Both indoor and outdoor air quality impact chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which opens up a large avenue to work with patients to improve their outcomes.

For COPD patients, the adage holds true: "the first way to get out of a hole is to quit digging one," said Christopher Mosher, MD, MHS, of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. "One of the first things they need to focus on is to quit smoking, as that's going to only make their condition worse if they're trying to improve it."

Smoking

Cigarette smoking is the strongest risk factor for development and progression of the disease in countries like the U.S.

A Danish national registry showed severe exacerbations were nearly 20% more common over 12 months for former and current smokers as compared to never smokers. Curr