COPD question?

[Fluftytufty]

Does anyone know if it's possible to get COPD, without ever being a smoker?

[cofdrop-UK]

The short answer hun is yes it is.

Love cx

[Swerv]

Yes, secondhand smoke, solvents, working in dusty areas etc. etc.

Merv

[Fluftytufty in reply to Swerv]

My granda had bronchitis, and both my dad and uncle were very heavy smokers and both have it. I've never smoked, but have asthma. I'm concerned that I could end up like my dad as it's got far worse over the years. I have an almost permanent cough and suspect that this time

It could be bronchitis.

[peege]

Hi, as the others have said...sadly for many of us yes!

Do your very best to stay out of the cig smoke as well as other pollution, dust, chemicals and you'll give yourself a fighting chance.

I hope that your asthma is well controlled.

I'll try to come back and answer you properly but it's a busy day today (because I'm a total last minute merchant)!

There is a lot you can do to give yourself the very best of outcomes and break the historical pattern for you your children to come 😃

[Ergendl]

Yes, it is possible. A lot of people in the world get COPD from cooking over open fires.

[Fluftytufty]

Damn. My wee girl is only 2 and she has a terrible night time cough.

[rubyred777]

Welcome to the site Flufty

You came to the right place to get answers. There are people on the site that have never smoked, and have copd.

Could be job related. Second hand smoke. You sound like you're very young. Is your asthma well controlled?

Does your daughter have allergies?

Hope we can help answer some of your

questions.

Rubyxx 😊

[Mandy6513]

Absolutely but dont forget COPD can be kept stable if its caught really fast....just keep away from smokers and dusty places...also be aware that using a printer a lot or glues etc can aggravate your breathing.

[Hidden]

Hi have you been diagnosed with copd? Most people, in the Western World at least, get it from smoking. Others with heavy second hand smoke like you suffered. You must be extra sensitive to it.

Many people in the 3rd world have it, not from smoking, but use of open fires in their homes. They have even found it in ancient civilisations.

You need to stay completely away from cigarette smoke, and other things like traffic pollution and aerosols might affect you to. Have you been to the doctors about your cough? Do you have a log burner? Coz I read that certain groups of people including the very young can be affected by the particles in it.

The other thing which occured to me is that it is possible to be intolerant to some dairy products. One of my sisters, who hasn't got any lung problems, had a persistant dry cough. She cut out dairy food then introduced it back 1 product at a time and found milk and ice cream were the culprits. She now avoids them and her cough has gone completely x

[Hidden]

When I was diagnosed with COPD in 2006. I was told it was damage to the lung through smoking. Only 1 in 4 smokers can end up with COPD. I just happen to be one of the unlucky ones. I have found out now that people who don't smoke can get it if you have the right treatment and live healthily you should have no problems just take everyday as it comes hope you have a lovely Christmas and a healthy new year.

[Katinka46]

How do you know that it is COPD?

Have you had a diagnosis?

What are the tests that you have had?

Sorry to interrogate you like this, but one of my bugbears that I have returned to frequently on this site is that doctors diagnose COPD too readily. It is one of the commonest lung conditions, and so, unsurprisingly, it is the first thing that they think of. It means that they can take the easier route and not investigate fully.

You need to see your GP and check it all out.

Look after yourself and your family and have a great Christmas.

All the best

K xxxx

[Fluftytufty]

I didn't say that I have COPD. I have asthma. I'm just concerned about our family history of it.

I'm 41. Aye the doc just says it's an asthma cough. It's suffocating me at the mo, I'm on prednisone at the moment.

No, no log burner.

My da was an 80 a day smoker so that certainly hasn't helped.

My girl hadn't any allergies that I'm aware of. They won't say she had asthma until she's school age, but she coughs just like I do.

[Nikkers]

Short answer - Yes, definitely! Sorry to say.

[Hidden]

Yes it is. If you are a person under 40yo you should be tested for Alpha-1 AntiTrypsin. Actually I would get tested whatever your age.

I won't go into inhaled irritants, others have explained this.

Best of luck.

[Fluftytufty]

Thanks everyone.

Merry Christmas x

[Beth1949]

In a nutshell, YES.

I smoked very briefly in high school (late 60s), didn't like it. I have never lived with a smoker. I worked in a sewing factory for over a year in the early 70s, breathed in a lot of lint. Don't know if that was a factor.

I didn't have lung issues until the late 80s, I am now 66 and diagnosed with bronchiectasis due to childhood illnesses and past infections.

COPD is something that some people get and others don't.

One doctor said that we all breath in irratences as a fact of life, but then some people's body can't take it any more and the body reacts regardless of age. Some people have COPD all their lives and others late in life.

Elizabeth