Genetic risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

There is convincing epidemiologic evidence of genetic susceptibility to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Identification of susceptibility genes could yield important insights into the pathogenesis of COPD and may provide targets for therapeutic intervention. Deficiency of alpha(1)-antitrypsin is the only well-established genetic risk factor for COPD, but several other genes are implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease, Genetic factors may also modify the disease phenotype without being directly involved in the pathogenesis.