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FRIDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDayNews) -- COPD is a respiratory ailment typically associated with the elderly, but a new study finds it can also develop in young people, particularly men and those who smoke.

Doctors use the term COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) to describe a variety of conditions that lead to progressive deterioration of airflow in the lungs. These conditions include chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The main cause of COPD is smoking.

In the study, researchers from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey collected data on 18,000 men and women, aged 20 to 44. The participants were drawn from 16 nations, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States and countries in Europe.

The findings are based on a new way of classifying COPD. Called GOLD -- for Global Obstructive Lung Disease -- this new system defines the severity of COPD from 0 to IV. Zero, the lowest risk, is assigned to someone with persistent cough and/or phlegm for up to three months each year, but without obstructed airflow, while IV means very severe COPD.

"We found that about 4 percent of young adults have COPD, and 12 percent were at stage 0, putting them at risk of developing COPD in the future," says lead researcher Dr. Roberto de Marco, a professor of medicine and public health at the University of Verona in Italy.

The researchers also found the rates of COPD varied among countries. "These differences can be explained by variations in smoking habits," de Marco says.

In addition, women were less likely to have any stage of COPD compared with men, according to the report, which appears in the January issue of Thorax. The researchers say men may be more vulnerable because of greater exposure to environmental pollutants in the workplace.

De Marco notes that from a public health point of view, the study is important because people usually think of COPD as a problem in the elderly.

"But our result shows that it is also a problem in young adults," he says.

To combat this trend, de Marco says, "First, stop smoking. Also, pay attention to early symptoms because chronic bronchitis and phlegm in the chest could be a marker of developing COPD."

Dr. Barry Make, director of the emphysema center at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, says the study clearly shows that many young adults have various stages of COPD.

Make says that in addition to smoking, environmental and genetic risks might explain why many people are at risk for COPD.

People need to know that the disease can occur early, and "patients who smoke need to get assessed early," he says.

Dr. Peter Calverley is a member of the committee that developed the GOLD classifying system, and is also with the department of medicine at University Hospital in Liverpool, England. He says "this study illustrates the usefulness of the GOLD classification of COPD in identifying affected people at an earlier stage of the illness than we usually think about for this disease.

"It also shows that even in these early phases, COPD can have significant consequences for health, and more effort should be focused on identifying the condition early," he says.

More information

For more on breathing and lung disease, check with the American Lung Association and the National Institutes of Health.

(SOURCES: Roberto de Marco, Ph.D., professor, medicine and public health, University of Verona, Italy; Barry Make, M.D., director, emphysema center, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, and professor, medicine, University of Colorado, Denver; Peter Calverley, M.D., department of medicine, University Hospital, Liverpool, England; January 2004 Thorax )

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