Which factor increases the likelihood for older adults to develop lung disease?

• A. Increased alveolar surface area.
• B. Increased lung elasticity.
• C. All of the above.
• D. Smoking.

Answer: (D)

Exposure to tobacco smoke is the strongest factor that raises the likelihood of lung disease in older adults. Smoking drives chronic airway inflammation, mucus overproduction, ciliary dysfunction, and structural changes in the airways and alveoli, all of which raise the risk for COPD, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer over time. These damaging effects accumulate with age, especially in those with long-term exposure.

The other factors described don’t fit as risk makers in this context. An increase in alveolar surface area isn’t a typical aging-related change that heightens disease risk, and in many lung diseases surface area actually decreases due to tissue destruction. Increased lung elasticity isn’t a usual aging pattern either; aging tends to reduce elastic recoil rather than increase it.

So, smoking stands out as the factor most likely to increase the chance of developing lung disease in older adults.