Clinicians evaluating patients' occupational histories should take into account military service, given that a study of US military veteran rosters has found an increase in the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Investigators found that 44% of veterans had been exposed to inorganic dust. The study by Paul Blanc, MD, and colleagues was published online in the journal Chest.
"Occupational factors should always be considered a possible contributor to COPD. Many clinicians still wrongly believe COPD is only a smoking-caused condition," said Blanc, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, in an interview with Medscape Medical News.
The adjusted analysis showed that among ever-smokers, a moderate or high likelihood of exposure to inorganic dust during military service was associated with a 23% increase in the odds of having COPD (odds ratio [OR], 1.23; 95% CI, 1.15 – 1.31). The odds of having COPD were not elevated in never-smokers (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.87 – 1.01). The increase in odds of COPD associated with dust exposure was 25% (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.22 – 1.28) in the overall population. Those with asthmawere excluded from the main analysis. When those with asthma and concomitant COPD were included, the estimated ORs remained similar.
