TY - JOUR T1 - Prevalence characteristics of COPD in never smokers JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 40 IS - Suppl 56 SP - P982 AU - Ramadan Bakr AU - Ibrahim Elmahallawy Y1 - 2012/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P982.abstract N2 - Background: Smoking is by far the most important documented cause for COPD. However, COPD can still be recorded among a percentage of non smoker patients, due to other different causes.Methods: This study comprised 300 COPD patients, 230 patients (76.66%) were men and 70 patients (23.34%) were women. The mean age of the patients was 60.7 ± 5.35 years (range 42-83 years.Results: 300 COPD patients were included in this study, 120 (40%) were never smokers and 180 (60%) were ever smokers. Women made up 41.7% of the never smokers (50 of 120) and 11% of the ever smokers (20 of 180). Never smokers were significantly older than smokers [65.08 ± 5.03 years vs 56.33 ± 5.67 years (P < 0.001)] and were more likely to be women [41.7% vs 11% (P < 0.001)]. Never smokers made up to 40% (120/300) of all COPD cases: 78% (70/90) of all GOLD stage II cases, 45.5% (50/110) of all GOLD stage III cases. Among never smokers, 58.3% (70/120) fulfilled the criteria for GOLD stage II and 41.7% (50/120) fulfilled the criteria for GOLD stage III and no patients fulfilled the criteria of either GOLD stage I or GOLD stage IV. Never smokers were shown to have more occupational exposure to organic and inorganic dust and irritant gases at work place [41.7 % (50/120) vs 27.7% (50/180), P < 0.05], more biomass exposure [41.7 % (50/120) vs 0% (0/180), P < 0.001], less education [41.7 % (50/120) vs 72.2% (130/180), P < 0.001], more exposure to passive smoking [75% (90/120) vs 22.2% (40/180), P < 0.001].Conclusions: Never smokers still constitute a significant proportion of the Egyptian COPD patients.Key words: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ever smokers, never smokers. ER -