Smoking
Smoking is the biggest risk factor for COPD. This includes if you smoke now, have smoked in the past, or are around other people’s smoke (passive smoking). If you have COPD and still smoke, the best thing you can do to slow it down and make treatment work better is to quit. While this can be challenging, you don’t have to quit alone. Visit our quit smoking page for more information and support.
Environmental factors
COPD can also happen to people who have been around harmful things for a long time, like dust, gas, chemical fumes, smoke, or air pollution.
Genetics
Your genes can also be a cause of COPD, even if you’ve never smoked or been around pollution. A small number of people have a type of emphysema caused by a protein problem called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD or Alpha-1). This is where the body has trouble making a protein that protects the lungs.
Resources
Inhaler device technique: Genuair®
The Genuair® inhaler is a breath-activated device used to deliver medication to
Inhaler device technique: Zonda®
The Zonda inhaler is a dry powder inhaler used to deliver medication
Inhaler device technique: Turbuhaler®
This resource from the Lung Foundation Australia is designed to help you
References
1. Ivey, M., Smith, S., Benke, G., et al. (2024). COPD in never-smokers: BOLD Australia Study, Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 17 Jan 2024; 19:161-174.
2. World Health Organisation, (2025) Global Health Estimates 2021: Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000-2021. Accessed 4 Feb 2025.
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