Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for
COPD in the developed world. COPD related to tobacco
consumption increased over the past 100 years in most of
the developed world as large numbers of men, then women,
took up smoking. In the US, cigarette smoking peaked during
the 1970s among men and during the 1980s among women.
In the developing world, the prevalence of smoking among
women is predicted to increase to 20% by 2025.5 Future
trends in COPD will reflect this change.