Smoking or not, women are still at risk of severe lung disease than men
Even among women who had never smoked, they were doubled from the possibility of being COPD compared to men, according to the US-based study.
In short
- COPD is more common in women than men
- This is a serious lung condition that makes it difficult to breathe
- COPD’s burden has been underestimated in women, researchers noted
According to new research published in BMJ Open Research Research, women have a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), about 50% more likely than women to develop a serious lung condition, even though they have never smoked or smoked less than men.
COPD is a group of chronic lung diseases, including emphysema and bronchitis, often caused by prolonged smoking, air pollution, and bottlenecks of lungs. The condition makes a person difficult to breathe.
However, the big US-based study has challenged the long-standing confidence that smoking alone explains why more women are now suffering from COPD.
Researchers analyzed the 2020 National Health Interview Survey data, which included more than 23,000 adults aged 40 and above. In the survey, smoking habits, use of tobacco products, and whether participants were diagnosed with COPD.
Interestingly, women reported less smoking than men. He was less likely to start smoking before low cigarettes (18 vs. 22), 15 years old (19% vs. 28%), and less likely to use other tobacco products such as cigars or smokles tobacco products.
Nevertheless, COPD was more common in women (about 8%) than men (6.5%).
Even among those who had never smoked, women still doubled the possibility of COPD compared to men – 3% vs. 1.5%. Those who once smoked 16% of women had COPD, compared to 11.5% of men.
After adjusting to other factors such as age and smoking risk, researchers found that women had a 47% higher risk of developing COPD. Among non-dhoominas, women were likely to be 62% higher with COPD than male non-dhoomin.
The study depended on self-reported information and did not include potential effects such as hormonal changes, environmental pollution or workplace risk, which could affect COPD risk. However, the authors argue that the findings suggest that smoking alone explains the high rates of COPD in women.
Researchers said, “If women were more sensitive to tobacco smoke, we would not look at such high COPD rates among those who never smoked,” the researchers said.
They conclude that COPD’s burden in women has been underestimated and has been called for better efforts for preventing, diagnosis and treatment in women regardless of smoking history.