Lower levels of a key lung protein increase the risk of developing cigarette-smoke-induced emphysema
Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for emphysema, one of the leading symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Each year, this deadly condition kills more than three million people worldwide. Yet, despite the irreversible cell damage wrought by tobacco smoke, around only one in five lifelong smokers develop the degenerative lung disease. This indicates that some people have genetic factors that predispose them to the condition, whereas others harbor DNA variants that offer protection. Now, a research team from the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute in Wako, Japan, has discovered one gene implicated in vulnerability to smoke-induced emphysema, a finding that could help doctors identify those cigarette smokers at highest risk of end-stage chronic lung disease.