Today's edition of Medical Myths centers on misconceptions about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We cover myths about exercise, body weight, treatments, and more.

Written by Tim Newman on November 25, 2021 — Fact checked by Catherine Carver, MPH

Design by Andrew Nguyen

COPD is an umbrella term for a collection of progressive respiratory conditions, all of which cause breathing difficulties.

Two of the most common forms of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

The most prevalent symptoms of COPD are shortness of breath and a cough. Over time, even everyday activities, such as getting dressed, can become challenging.

In this article, we cover some of the most common myths associated with COPD. To ensure we provide accurate information, we have recruited two experts.

Dr. Neil Schachter is a professor of medicine — pulmonary, critical care, environmental medicine, and public health — at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. He is also medical director of pulmonary rehabilitation at the Mount Sinai Health System.

Dr. Shahryar Yadegar is a critical care medicine specialist, pulmonologist, and medical director of the ICU at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, CA.

1. COPD is rare
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COPD caused 3.23 millionTrusted Source deaths in 2019, making it the third leading cause of death worldwide.

Dr. Schachter explained that in the United States, COPD "is the fourth leading causeTrusted Source of death. More than 16 million Americans are diagnosed."

Additionally, as Dr. Yadegar told Medical News Today, "millionsTrusted Source more people may be undiagnosed."

The American Lung Association (ALA) recommends that anyone who is "experiencing COPD symptoms — chronic cough, shortness of breath, frequent respiratory infections, significant mucus production (also called phlegm or sputum), and/or wheezing — speak with [a] doctor about obtaining a breathing test called 'spirometry,' which can help diagnose COPD."

2. Only smokers develop COPD
It is true that smoking tobacco is the leading cause of COPD, but as Dr. Schachter told MNT, "There are many other risk factors that contribute to the development of the disease, including air pollution, work-related pollution, infection, and some forms of asthma."

Extending this further, Dr. Yadegar told us:

"Approximately 10–20% of COPD patients never smoked. Some of these never-smokers include significant secondhand smoke exposure; genetic predisposition, primarily through alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency; or substantial exposure to air pollution."

Alpha-1 antitrypsin is an enzyme that protects the body from an immune attack. Some people have a mutation in the gene that codes for this enzyme; this causes alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

Deficiency of alpha-1 antitrypsin increases the risk of developing COPD and other conditions that affect a range of bodily systems.

3. Only older adults develop COPD
COPD is certainly more common in older adults than in younger people, but younger people are not immune to the condition.

For instance, in the U.S., between 2007 and 2009, COPD affected 2%Trusted Source of males and 4.1% of females aged 24–44 years. Similarly, the condition affected 2% of males and 3% of females aged 18–24 years.

Dr. Schachter told us that a "significant proportion of those individuals diagnosed before the age of 50" have a hereditary form of the disease that causes a deficiency of alpha-1 antitrypsin.

4. COPD only affects the lungs
"False," said Dr. Schachter. "COPD coexists with many comorbidities, including heart disease, lung cancer, hypertension, osteoporosis, and diabetes. The association may be due to common causative factors, as well as 'systemic inflammation.'"

In other words, some of these conditions share risk factors, which makes them more likely to occur with COPD. For instance, smoking is a risk factor for both COPD and heart disease.

At the same time, health experts associate COPD with systemic inflammation, which can also independently increase the risk of other conditions.

Source: medicalnewstoday

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