In a study of 148 adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), investigators found that those who lived in homes with poor air quality tended to have worse symptoms. Cigarette smoke was the major air-polluting culprit.
"The importance of knowing this for people with COPD and their families is that indoor smoking is under our control," lead study author Dr. Liesl M. Osman told Reuters Health.
"We can immediately very much improve air quality by stopping smoking in the home," said Osman, a senior research fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
COPD includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, two serious lung diseases frequently caused by smoking. Breathing in other irritants, such as polluted outdoor air, can contribute to or exacerbate COPD, but less is known about the importance of household air pollution.
To investigate, Osman's team measured air quality in the homes of 148 Scottish adults with severe COPD. They also questioned them about their respiratory symptoms and smoking habits.
Thirty-nine percent of the subjects were smokers and 49 percent lived in a household where someone smoked...
Via Reuters
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