Chronic Pulmonary Disease and Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle medicine is an integral but often overlooked component of managing chronic pulmonary diseases. The cornerstone of lifestyle adaptations in chronic lung conditions typically focuses on the avoidance and cessation of tobacco-containing products, as tobacco is known to be a major contributor to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which affects nearly 17% of Americans, a prevalence rate which is only expected to increase. In this chapter, the impact of not only cigarette smoking but also air pollution, dietary choices, sleep habits, and exercise on common chronic lung conditions such as asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary hypertension is presented. Though there are several research gaps in the medical literature surrounding lifestyle medicine in pulmonary disease, incorporating the evidence-based lifestyle practices discussed herein may have a lasting impact on quality of life, mortality, and morbidity in these deleterious pulmonary conditions.