PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

People with schizophrenia have higher risk of COPD

Lack of adequate medical care, other shared genetic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors increase risks

2025-08-26
(Press-News.org) Miami (August 26, 2025) – People with schizophrenia are more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), suggesting a possible syndemic relationship between the two diseases, in addition to people not seeking appropriate medical care. A new article examining the link between COPD and schizophrenia appears in the July 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open access journal.

COPD encompasses conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is caused by irritants like smoke or pollution, and even genetics. There are an estimated 30 million Americans effected by COPD, yet only half of those people know they have the disease.

Studies have shown that people with schizophrenia have higher rates of tobacco smoking, leading to an increased risk of developing COPD. However, there is a higher prevalence of COPD in people with schizophrenia after adjusting for smoking, suggesting that the link may also be syndemic—the result of shared socioeconomic, genetic, and environmental risk factors.

People with schizophrenia are less likely to receive adequate general medical care, leading to an under-diagnosis of COPD. COPD symptoms are often viewed as psychosomatic in people with schizophrenia. Studies have also shown that some antipsychotic medications impact respiratory health, including an increased risk of pneumonia.

“People with schizophrenia are less likely to use primary and preventative services or seek help for medical concerns. They also tend to prioritize mental health issues over physical illnesses,” said Professor David M.G. Halpin, MBBS, DPhil, FRCP, a professor of respiratory medicine at University of Exeter. “We need to ensure primary care providers are aware that people with schizophrenia are at higher risk of developing COPD. Patients should have regular physical health checks, and those with schizophrenia and COPD should be offered comprehensive care. Developing integrated care services and avoiding stigma could make a significant difference to outcomes, including survival, in this disadvantaged group of patients.”

To access current and past issues of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, visit journal.copdfoundation.org.

### 

About the COPD Foundation
The COPD Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help millions of people live longer and healthier lives by advancing research, advocacy, and awareness to stop COPD, bronchiectasis, and NTM lung disease. The Foundation does this through scientific research, education, advocacy, and awareness to prevent disease, slow progression, and find a cure. For more information, visit copdfoundation.org, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Sibling-specific aggression in women and girls

2025-08-26
Human men are typically more aggressive than human women, a finding supported by reams of research. But surveys of  4,136 individuals in 24 countries reveal an exception to the trend: aggression in sibling relationships. Douglas T. Kenrick and Michael E.W. Warnum, along with a team of 49 colleagues, asked participants how often they had acted aggressively towards a sister, a brother, a female friend, a male friend, a female acquaintance, or a male acquaintance—both when they were children and when they were adults.  Aggressive actions included both direct aggression, such as hitting/slapping ...

Study raises red flags about BPA replacements

2025-08-26
Chemicals used to replace bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging can trigger potentially harmful effects in human ovarian cells, according to McGill University researchers. A new study examined several chemicals commonly used in price stickers on packaged meat, fish, cheese and produce found early signs of potential toxicity. The findings, published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, raise concerns about the safety of BPA-free packaging and whether current regulations go far enough to protect consumers. BPA substitutes disrupt gene expression The research began with the 2023 discovery by Stéphane Bayen, Associate Professor in McGill’s ...

The irresistibility of extrapolating from past performance

2025-08-26
Researchers explore the human tendency to look to the past to predict the future—even when people rationally know outcomes are completely random. A fair coin flip is the prototypically random-outcome event. Russell Roberts and colleagues asked 12,000 people to predict coin flip outcomes in a sequence of five fair coin tosses—some in person, some online. With such a large number of participants, they were able to analyze subsets of people who—by chance—made a series of successful or unsuccessful guesses without any deception or manipulation of the ...

Predicting nationality from beliefs and values

2025-08-26
Different countries have different cultures, and social scientists have developed theories about which values are most important in differentiating the world’s cultures. Abhishek Sheetal and colleagues used the power of machine learning to identify the crucial distinguishing characteristics of the world’s national cultures in a theory-blind manner. The authors trained a neural network to predict an individual’s country of origin from their attitudes, values, and beliefs, as measured by the World Values Survey, a global study that probes everything from religious beliefs ...

Mindset shift about catastrophes linked to decreased depression, inflammation

2025-08-26
Catastrophes, by definition, are devastating, but they can often be catalysts for lasting, positive change – and if people can adopt that perspective, they may see some real benefits, a Stanford-led study suggests. In a randomized, controlled trial, a one-hour intervention was given to a group of adults designed to shift their mindset, or core beliefs and assumptions, about having lived through a catastrophe like the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of seeing growth opportunities in the experience. Those who received the intervention showed lower levels of depression three months later compared to a control group. Blood tests also revealed lower ...

Astronomers make unexpected discovery of planet in formation around a young star

2025-08-26
An international team of astronomers, co-led by researchers at University of Galway, has made the unexpected discovery of a new planet. Detected at an early stage of formation around a young analog of our own Sun, the planet is estimated to be about 5 million years-old and most likely a gas giant of similar size to Jupiter. The study, which was led by Leiden University, University of Galway and University of Arizona, has been published in the international journal Astrophysical Journal Letters. The ground-breaking discovery was made using ...

EBMT partners in a new consortium to decentralise CAR-T cell therapy and improve hospital workflow

2025-08-26
EBMT partners in a new consortium to decentralise CAR-T cell therapy and improve hospital workflow Barcelona, Spain -  26th August 2025 - The newly launched EASYGEN (Easy workflow integration for gene therapy) consortium will develop a fully automated, hospital-based platform capable of manufacturing personalised cell therapies within a few days. Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA is leading this €8 million EU-backed effort to make CAR-T cell therapy faster, more affordable, and more accessible to patients across Europe. EASYGEN has been selected under the ...

Primate thumbs and brains evolved hand-in-hand

2025-08-26
Longer thumbs mean bigger brains, scientists have found - revealing how human hands and minds evolved together.  Researchers studied 94 different primate species, including fossils and living animals, to understand how our ancestors developed their abilities. They found that species with relatively longer thumbs, which help with gripping small objects precisely, consistently had larger brains.  The research, published today (Tuesday, 26 August) in Communications Biology, provides the first direct evidence that manual dexterity and brain evolution are connected across the entire primate lineage, from lemurs to humans.   Humans and our extinct ...

Sneaky swirls: scientists confirm ‘hidden’ vortices could influence how soil and snow move

2025-08-26
Researchers have shown for the first time how hidden motions could control how granular materials such as soil and snow slip and slide, confirming a long-suspected hypothesis. The knowledge could help in understanding how landslides and avalanches work and even help the construction industry in the future. Scientists have found sneaky swirls and loops of movement in materials such as soil and snow could influence how materials move. The knowledge could be invaluable in understanding how avalanches and landslides on Earth and Mars speed up or slow ...

Tropical volcanic eruptions push rainfall across the equator

2025-08-26
Volcanoes that blast gases high into the atmosphere not only change global temperatures but also influence flooding in unusual ways, Princeton researchers have found. In an August 26 article in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers reported that major eruptions create distinct patterns of flooding depending on the location of the volcano and the dispersal of its plume. The patterns mostly divide along the line of the equator. When a volcano’s plume is generally contained in one hemisphere, flooding decreases in that hemisphere and ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

How microbes control mammalian cell growth

Emergency department pilot program serves rural families

Amid renewable-energy boom, study explores options for electricity market

Study finds improvement in knee pain with exercise and physical therapy

Researchers uncover key mechanism behind chemotherapy-induced nerve damage

Mayo Clinic researchers find enhancing the body’s ‘first responder’ cells may boost immune therapy for cancer

Secret to a long life? In bowhead whales, a protein repairs damaged DNA

MIT study: Identifying kids who need help learning to read isn’t as easy as A, B, C

Plant biomass substance helps combat weeds

Veterans with epilepsy after traumatic brain injury may have higher mortality rates

Who is more likely to lose vision due to high brain pressure?

Scripps Research professor awarded $3.2 million to advance type 1 diabetes research

Anna Wuttig wins Bayer Foundation Early Excellence in Science Award

Electric vehicles outperform gasoline cars in lifetime environmental impact

Kilimanjaro has lost 75 percent of its natural plant species over the last century

Spider web “decorations” may help pinpoint location of captured prey

Ancient tombs reveal the story of Chinese history

1 in 3 university students surveyed from a Parisian suburb report being unable to access desired food, with this food insecurity associated with academic dropout

Researchers uncover oldest 3D burrow systems in Hubei's Shibantan Biota

Discovery of a new principle: chiral molecules adhere to magnets

New algorithm lets autonomous drones work together to transport heavy, changing payloads

Lehigh University team develops computational model to guide neurostimulation therapy for atrial fibrillation

Survival of the blandest: Unusual sharks face highest extinction risk

Research alert: Bioinformatics uncovers regenerative therapy for spinal cord injury

Sustainable chemistry with the help of Artificial Intelligence

Quantum jam sessions teach quantum and jamming

Health care professionals sponsored for H-1B visas in the US

Study shows increase of H1-B visa fees will most impact rural and high-poverty counties

How age affects vaccine responses and how to make them better

MAGIC: AI-assisted laser tag illuminates cancer origins

[Press-News.org] People with schizophrenia have higher risk of COPD
Lack of adequate medical care, other shared genetic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors increase risks