{"id":634194,"date":"2025-11-20T09:30:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T14:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=634194"},"modified":"2025-11-11T16:23:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T21:23:51","slug":"is-copd-contagious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/is-copd-contagious\/","title":{"rendered":"Can you catch COPD from someone else?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of chronic lung conditions that causes difficulty breathing and worsens over time. It includes conditions such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, characterized by lung damage and inflammation in the airways that carry air to and from the lung air sacs (alveoli). A chronic cough is a common symptom of <\/span>COPD<\/span><\/a>, similar to the one experienced by people with infectious diseases like the flu. However, COPD is not a contagious disease and cannot be \u201ccaught\u201d from someone with the condition.<\/span>
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If you or your loved one has been diagnosed, your healthcare team would place you on treatments to manage your respiratory symptoms, slow its progression, minimize flare-ups, and improve overall quality of life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What causes COPD?<\/span><\/h2>\n

COPD typically occurs as a <\/span>result of prolonged exposure<\/span><\/a> to harmful gases or toxic substances, such as air pollution. Cigarette smoking tops the list as the leading <\/span>cause<\/span><\/a> of COPD. Available evidence indicates that the majority of individuals with COPD are <\/span>either current or former smokers<\/span><\/a>. You are also at a higher risk when you are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke (i.e., exposure to the cigarette smoke exhaled by someone else).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A combination of other <\/span>risk factors<\/span><\/a> can also lead to the development of COPD:<\/span><\/p>\n