Cigarette smoke exposure fundamentally alters airway tissue in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and even while other aspects of health improve, the lung damage lasts long after a smoker quits.
University of Sydney researchers found that smoking lays the groundwork for airway thickening and even precipitates precancerous changes in cell proliferation that may be self-perpetuating long after cigarette smoke exposure ends.
Read more at University of Sydney