Does chronic bronchitis run in families?

Generally, chronic bronchitis is caused by environmental factors like smoking and can be avoided by staying away from smoke. But family can play a role in the development of chronic bronchitis. As a child, if your family exposed you to secondhand smoke or other air pollutants, your risk for chronic bronchitis is increased. Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), under which chronic bronchitis is classified, also seem to happen in some families more than others, and so researchers suspect that some type of inheritance may occur, but the relationship between families and chronic bronchitis is still unclear.