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Written By: Agencies | Published : September 28, 2015 11:52 AM IST
Smoking starts damaging your lungs from the first puff. Lung cancer and lung disease are one of the major risks associated with smoking and diseases like COPD are immediately associated with it. And, scientists now have also found the genetic link between COPD and smoking.British researchers have discovered six independent genetic variants associated with lung health and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They also found genetic variants associated with COPD in people who have never smoked. Understanding the genetic basis of airflow obstruction and smoking behaviour is key to determining the mechanisms which cause COPD, said professor Ian Hall from Queen's Medical Centre at University of Nottingham. Hall, along with professor Martin Tobin from University of Leicester and colleagues sampled individuals from the UK Biobank with the best, average or the poorest lung function among heavy smokers and never smokers. (Read: Dangers of second-hand smoke: Stroke & COPD)
Using a new genotyping array, which measures over 800,000 genetic variants in each participant, the researchers were able to compare lung health and smoking behaviour with both common and rare genetic variations across the whole human genome. One of these signals is the first example of structural variation of the human genome affecting lung health. The team found that the numbers of copies of duplicated sequence of the genome on Chromosome 17 was associated with lung health in heavy smokers and also in never smokers. (Read: Did you know chronic lung disease can make you physically inactive?)
This, and other findings in the study, point to possible widespread effects on gene regulation and, in turn, protein production. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a global public health concern and is currently the third leading cause of death worldwide. For the prevention of COPD and other smoking-related diseases, five independent genetic variants were also discovered which were associated with heavy smoking. These findings, taken together with previous findings, will help define pathways underlying predisposition to development of COPD and smoking behaviours, the authors noted. This will potentially give rise to novel therapeutic strategies for the management of airway disease and prevention of nicotine addiction. The research was published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. (Read: 25 things that happen inside your body when you smoke)
Source: IANS
Photo source: Getty images
