慢性閉塞性肺疾患 (COPD) － タバコによる肺疾患 －

抄録

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently one of the major causes of death in the world. Further increases in the prevalence and mortality rates for the disease are predicted in the coming decades in Japan. The major causes of this increase are past smoking behavior and the aging of the population. COPD is a disease state characterized by airflow limitation. Airflow limitation is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases. Smoking is the single greatest independent risk factor for the development of COPD. In this article, we review the pathogenesis, pathology and pathophysiology of COPD. We also review the effects of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on age-related pulmonary function decline, and prevalence of emphysema detected by thoracic CT screening.