Herencia y ambiente en la EPOC

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by progressive, not completely reversible, obstruction of the airways. COPD is a complex disease with multifactorial etiology. The main cause is smoking but only 15% of smokers will develop the disease, suggesting that other risk factors are involved. Several genetic alterations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of COPD, such as alpha-1antritripsin deficiency or genetic polymorphisms in several enzymes involved in the processes of oxidation-reduction and inflammation. In addition, several environmental risk factors such as pollution, viral infections in childhood, and latent adenovirus infections have been identified. Interaction among several of these risk factors increases susceptibility to developing COPD.