What is the most common risk factor associated with COPD?

The most common risk factor associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is smoking and secondhand smoke. This stems from extensive research showing that the majority of individuals diagnosed with COPD have a history of smoking. The inhalation of harmful substances, particularly the toxins found in tobacco smoke, leads to chronic inflammation in the airways and air sacs of the lungs, progressively impairing lung function and resulting in the symptoms and complications associated with COPD.

Additionally, exposure to secondhand smoke also poses significant risk. Individuals who may not smoke themselves can develop COPD due to prolonged exposure to the smoke produced by others, which contains many of the same harmful chemicals that directly contribute to the onset of the disease in active smokers.

While factors such as age, gender, obesity, lack of exercise, and environmental allergies can play roles in lung health and respiratory conditions, they are not as directly linked to the development of COPD as smoking and secondhand smoke are. Age and gender can influence disease susceptibility, as older individuals and males are at a higher risk. However, these factors do not have the same direct causal relationship with the disease's pathological processes as smoking does.