Question: My mother has been diagnosed with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) but she has never smoked. However, my dad is a heavy smoker. Is it unusual for a person to get COPD from a family member’s secondhand smoke?

Dr. Hibberd’s answer:

Secondhand smoke exposure may predispose you to COPD. This is an unfortunate and too common effect seen in patients with a family member who smokes. Be sure your mother has been screened for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, often seen in emphysema (a form of COPD) in nonsmokers.

Remember that exposure to silicates, fine particulates like fiberglass, inhaled irritants, coal dust, and polluted air all raise the risk for developing COPD. Also, untreated asthma may cause airway scarring and damage that later in life may be labeled as COPD. Be sure she has had a full evaluation — including a pulmonary function test with and without a bronchodilator — to be sure she has no airway obstruction pattern due to chronic infection, TB, a tumor, or other conditions such as sarcoidosis or amyloidosis.