To the Editor:
We read with interest the article by Camp et al. [1] published in the European Respiratory Journal. In this study, based on both qualitative and quantitative computed tomography (CT) scan measures, the authors established that women exposed to biomass smoke had less emphysema than women exposed to tobacco smoke with similar obstruction observed by spirometry [1]. In addition, they described the presence of bronchiectasis in 14% of the biomass-exposed women compared to 0% of the tobacco-exposed women, without differences between the groups in the quantitative measures of air trapping or airway thickness on the inspiratory scans [1]. Finally, the authors concluded that this is the first study showing differences in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) phenotypes in living women with biomass- versus tobacco-smoke exposure [1 …