Smoking
Tobacco smoke (including passive exposure) is the most common risk factor associated with COPD. In Europe, cigarette smoking is responsible for 39% of the population’s attributable risk.1
Smoking cessation is the best way to delay progression of COPD at all stages of the disease. This is as relevant for patients with no current symptoms as it is for those at more severe stages of the disease. Those patients who continue to smoke will see a decline in FEV1 and lose lung function at a rapid rate, whereas it will deteriorate more slowly in those who stop smoking (although lost function cannot be regained).2