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Risk of Chronic Bronchitis in Twin Pairs Discordant for Smoking

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Abstract

Background

It is well known that smoking is a major risk factor for lung disease and respiratory symptoms. We examined the association between smoking and the risk of chronic bronchitis in a large twin sample.

Methods

In a population-based questionnaire study of 13,649 twins, aged 50–71 years, from the Danish Twin Registry, we identified 1,146 twin pairs, discordant for a lifetime history smoking. We performed co-twin control analysis to examine the impact of smoking on the risk of chronic bronchitis.

Results

The prevalence of chronic bronchitis was 9.7 %. In the total sample, high age, living without a spouse, and smoking remained statistically significant predictors with an up to tenfold increased risk of chronic bronchitis in the heaviest smokers compared with never-smokers, after multivariate adjustment. Among twin pairs discordant for smoking, chronic bronchitis was significantly more common in the smoking twin compared with the nonsmoking co-twin. There was no differential effect of smoking on the risk of chronic bronchitis in monozygotic and dizygotic twins.

Conclusions

The risk of chronic bronchitis increases with age and increasing tobacco consumption. The results indicate a direct relationship between smoking and development of chronic bronchitis, but other environmental factors, such as exposure to household smoking in childhood and living without a spouse, also play a role.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, 2400, Copenhagen NY, Denmark

    Howraman Meteran, Simon Francis Thomsen, Lotte Harmsen & Vibeke Backer

  2. Institute of Regional Health Services Research & Odense Patient data Explorative Network, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Kirsten Ohm Kyvik

  3. The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Kirsten Ohm Kyvik & Axel Skytthe

Authors
  1. Howraman Meteran
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  2. Simon Francis Thomsen
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  3. Lotte Harmsen
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  4. Kirsten Ohm Kyvik
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  5. Axel Skytthe
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  6. Vibeke Backer
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Correspondence to Howraman Meteran.

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Meteran, H., Thomsen, S.F., Harmsen, L. et al. Risk of Chronic Bronchitis in Twin Pairs Discordant for Smoking. Lung 190, 557–561 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-012-9397-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-012-9397-5

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