Effect of passive smoking on the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in southeastern Turkey

Aim: To determine the effect of passive smoking on the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among persons who spend a long time in cafes Materials and methods: The study sample included 348 male smokers who were older than 40 years and spend a long time in cafes The questions were derived from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) questionnaire We also inquired about the nature of cafe visits (hours/day, visits/week, visits/month) Results: COPD was found in 18 1% (63/348 subjects) of the smokers aged >= 40 years In these 63 subjects, based on spirometry results, the rate of mild and moderate airflow limitation was 23 8% (15/63) and 76 2% (48/63), respectively Of the 63, 60 (95%) had no previous diagnosis of COPD After we had accounted for known risk factors for the development COPD, we identified new risk factors, time spent in cafes (hours/day), the number of cafe visits per week (visits/week), and the number of cafe visits per month (visits/month), which had higher odds ratios for smokers without COPD (5 376, 2 721, and 2 337, respectively) Conclusion: Spending time in cafes regularly may contribute as an additional risk factor for the development of the COPD