Women and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Christine Jenkins
Concord Hospital Sydney, The George Institute for Global Health Sydney, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
*Correspondence: Christine Jenkins, Email not available
Abstract
Around the world, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is affecting women more than ever before. Increased smoking rates amongst women in the last 60 years, and the continued domestic and occupational exposure of women in low-income countries to biomass fuels and smoke have greatly increased the incidence of COPD in women. COPD presents differently in men and women, and women experience a higher symptom burden, rate of exacerbations and greater risk hospitalization. Additionally, women appear to be more vulnerable to the effects of smoking and develop airways disease at lower doses than men. Despite this, women are often under-represented in clinical trials, very few analyses address sex-specific differences in response to treatment, and management is rarely tailored to the specific needs of women with COPD. This article discusses the evidence and some of the potential approaches to address the burden of COPD in women.
