RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Wood smoke exposure and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease JF European Respiratory Journal JO Eur Respir J FD European Respiratory Society SP 542 OP 546 DO 10.1183/09031936.06.00052705 VO 27 IS 3 A1 M. Orozco-Levi A1 J. Garcia-Aymerich A1 J. Villar A1 A. Ramírez-Sarmiento A1 J. M. Antó A1 J. Gea YR 2006 UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/27/3/542.abstract AB It was hypothesised that wood smoke exposure could be a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Spain. The present study was designed as a case–control study of 120 females requiring hospitalisation during 2001–2003 at Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Spain). Cases were recruited from hospital records as females who had been admitted for an exacerbation of COPD. Controls were obtained from pulmonary function test laboratory consultations prior to a surgical intervention. All patients answered a standardised questionnaire. Exposure to wood or charcoal smoke was strongly associated with COPD after adjusting for age and smoking. The association between length of exposure and COPD suggested a dose–response pattern. Intensity of exposure in both summer and winter was also related to COPD. Wood or charcoal alone independently increased risk of COPD (odds ratio (OR) 1.8 and 1.5, respectively), but only the combination of both was statistically significant (OR 4.5). In conclusion, the present study shows a strong association between wood or charcoal smoke exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, supporting its existence not only in developing countries, but also in European countries, such as Spain. Further studies assessing whether this association also exists in other European societies are warranted.