A study of more than 1,000 COPD patients (38.8 percent of them women) found that smoking, the major cause of COPD, evokes different responses in men and women. Bronchitis tends to be more common in women and emphysema more common in men. In addition, women reported more breathlessness, a higher incidence of depression and a lower quality of life than the men. The findings are published in the August 2007 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The overall percent of smokers in the population has fallen since 1965 but men have been better at quitting than women. From 1965 to 2004, 28.5% of male smokers have quit whereas only 15.4% of women quit successfully. Because smoking is still so prevalent, about 20% of the population, more research is necessary. COPD studies have tended to concentrate on men but future studies need to consist of a large population and an appropriate sample of women.

Now that the number of American women diagnosed with COPD exceeds the number of men, their awareness must be raised about the risks not only by lung specialists but by health-care providers in general. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and the number of women dying of the condition has exceeded the number men for four consecutive years with more than 63,000 women and 59,000 men dying of the disease in 2003.

SOURCE: HealthDay News