Tobacco Control and Smoking

Factsheets - Smoking Causes Serious Lung Diseases

Fact Sheet 12: Smoking causes serious lung diseases

Nearly everyone knows that smoking causes lung cancer, but did you know that smoking causes a number of other serious lung diseases? These include chronic bronchitis and emphysema, collectively known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).¹

Smoking is the most important risk factor for COPD.² In 2004, bronchitis, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease accounted for 1,727 deaths in New Zealand. ³ More than 10,000 people were admitted to hospital from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004 with a primary diagnosis of bronchitis, emphysema or COPD.⁴

When you inhale cigarette smoke, it bypasses the filtering action of the nose and damages the tissues of the lungs, leading to overproduction of mucus, among other things. Chronic bronchitis occurs when the airways in your lungs have become narrow and partly clogged with mucus.

People who suffer from chronic bronchitis cough more and experience breathlessness for months or even years. They are also more at risk of developing chest infections and pneumonia.¹

Tobacco smoke also damages the air sacs in the lungs. Over time this leads to progressive loss of lung function and a condition known as emphysema. One sign of emphysema is shortness of breath. As the disease progresses, breathing becomes a major effort and may require supplementary oxygen.⁵ Most people who smoke around 20 cigarettes per day will have some degree of emphysema.⁶

Compared to non-smokers, someone who has previously smoked is more than five times as likely to develop emphysema/chronic bronchitis, and current smokers are more than six times as likely to suffer from emphysema/chronic bronchitis.⁷

Smoking causes 82 percent of emphysema/chronic bronchitis among males and 76 percent among females.⁸ However, a more recent report by the US Surgeon General attributes smoking as the cause of more than 90 percent of deaths due to COPD.⁹

Damage from emphysema is not reversible.1 However, quitting smoking will slow the rate of loss of lung capacity in chronic airways disease¹⁰ so it is still worthwhile. It also reduces the risk of many other diseases.

Want to quit smoking? The most important thing is to make a quit attempt. For help, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, quit smoking provider or call the Quitline on 0800 778 778 or visit The Quit Group web site at www.quit.org.nz