Factors That Affect the Development of COPD Symptoms

COPD is a chronic lung disease in which the lungs' airways and balloon-like air sacs, called alveoli, are damaged, lose their shape, and become floppy. As a result, they cannot fully inflate to allow the maximum amount of air through. COPD is usually the result of many years of cigarette smoking. Breathing in other kinds of lung irritants, such as pollution, dust, or chemicals, over a long period of time may also cause or contribute to COPD. Some people with COPD have an excess of mucus in their lungs, possibly caused by an overactive immune response, which can lead to coughing and shortness of breath. Although cigarette smoking seems to make this symptom worse, researchers are not sure why it occurs in some people and not others. This study will examine and compare blood and lung tissue samples from smokers and nonsmokers with and without COPD to determine what physiological differences, environmental factors, genes, and biomarkers contribute to the development of and symptoms associated with COPD.

Before their scheduled lung resection surgery, participants in this study will attend one study visit. It will last approximately 1 to 2 hours and will consist of answering questions about medical history, filling out health questionnaires, and providing a blood sample. After the surgery, study researchers will take the lung tissue that was removed and examine it in a laboratory. Participants will be contacted by study staff if, when examining the lung tissue, researchers discover that a participant has a medical disorder that current treatment can stop or improve. Also, participants will be contacted at the end of the study to answer brief questions about their health.