Is pneumothorax common?

Yes: Pneumothorax can be spontaneous and occurs 7.4 and 1.2 per 100, 000 in men & women respectively. It also results after trauma, surgery, respirator therapy and needle biopsy of the lung. Some cases are treated conservatively, others require placement of a surgical chest tube for re-expansion of the lung.

Depends: Population age adjusted rate for primary spontaneous pneumothorax (psp) is 7-18/100, 000. Estimated 80-90% of psp cases occur in smokers or former smokers. Males that smoke have 7-100+ times higher rate depending on how much they smoke. The risk factors for psp and secondary sp includes smoking (both tobacco & marijuana).