You've never smoked a cigarette in your life, but your doctor just told you that you have COPD, which stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Are you wondering how this can be? Isn't COPD a disease of smokers and former smokers?

While it's true that in the United States, COPD in 80% to 90% of all people diagnosed was due to smoking, there is a small percentage of people who develop this disease due to other risk factors. Some of the other risk factors for COPD can include:

• Occupatio...