|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
COPD Shows Signs of Discrimination: Differences in
Women Emerge
Significant portion of current cases can be traced
to smoking epidemic among women that began in the 1950s
 Dec. 14, 2007 - At least one advance by women is
unwanted: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is on the rise in
number of cases, morbidity and mortality. By 2000, the number
of women dying from COPD surpassed the number of men. But the rising
number of cases in women has not been matched by medical understanding
of the diseases apparent gender-bias.
| |
Related Stories |
|
| |
Risk of Progressive Lung Disease (COPD) Cut in Half
by Mediterranean Diet
Risk of lung cancer from COPD reduced by high-dose
inhaled corticosteroid, finds another study
May 16, 2007
Half of COPD Patients Were Misdiagnosed as Having
Asthma
70% of those with this leading cause of
disability are senior citizens
June 8, 2006
Senior
Citizen Lung Transplant Patients More Likely to Survive
Study finds lung
transplant recipients age 60+ with major survival advantage
December 4, 2006
Lung Cancer Alliance Launches Early Detection Web
Site to Educate Those at Highest Risk
Launches on heels of
major study showing importance of CT screening
November 22, 2006
Vaccination with Embryonic Stem Cells Prevents Lung
Cancer in Mice
Announced day after Democrats win pledging more
stem cell research
November 8, 2006
Senior Citizens Who Attend Religious Services May
Prolong Lung Health
Pulmonary function ages at half the rate of
those who don't attend
November 1, 2006
CT Screening May Save Millions from Deadly Lung
Cancer
Study finds 85% detection
that can increase
10-year survival by 92%
October 25, 2006
Anger and Hostility Speed Decline in Lung Power for
Older Men
Anger and stress in
senior men is in the spotlight
this week
August 31, 2006
Women Smokers have Higher Risk of Lung Cancer than
Men, but Lower Death Rate
Still, lung cancer kills more women than breast and
colon cancer combined
July 11, 2006
Battle Against Leading Cancer Killer of Elderly Gets
Failing Grades from Lung Cancer Alliance
Jan. 19, 2006
Read the latest news on Senior
Health & Medicine |
|
The disease expression of COPD in women is
different than in men, says Fernando Martinez, M.D., professor of
internal medicine at the University of Michigan and senior author on the
review, which appears in the second issue for December of the American
Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the
American Thoracic Society.
The main reason that we did this study was to
highlight that there really are gender differences in the disease, and
that they require additional study.
Dr. Martinez and his colleagues assessed the state
of medical and scientific knowledge on gender and COPD and found some
consistent patterns. Not only are the manifestations of the disease
different in men and women, but the risk factors, symptoms, disease,
progression, and even diagnosis, are markedly different between the
sexes.
COPD actually comprises what used to be considered
two distinct diseases: emphysema, or an abnormality in the lung tissue,
and chronic bronchitis, an obstruction of the airways.
One of the major gender differences in the
manifestation of COPD is that women tend to develop more airway
obstruction, whereas men tend to develop a more emphysematic
manifestation of the disease. But why that is so is still unclear.
It may reflect differences in exposures, or
[genetic] differences in how males and females manifest damage, said
Dr. Martinez. Or it may have nothing to do with underlying genetic
differences that are gender-based.
Women also seem to more prone than men to
developing COPD from their exposures to risk factors, such as cigarette
smoke and smoke from biomass fuels used for cooking in many developing
regions of the world.
Ironically, a number of studies have also shown
that female smokers have a harder time quitting and remaining
tobacco-free than males. Because COPD can develop over decades, a
significant portion of current cases can be traced back to a rising
smoking epidemic among women that began in the 1950s.
Women may be more susceptible to developing COPD
from their exposures, but they also predominate among COPD patients who
have never smoked, and may have gender-linked genetic factors that
predispose them to developing the disease.
And once sick, women also have different
experiences than men.
>> They are less likely to be correctly diagnosed
or offered appropriate diagnostic tests for COPD.
>> They report more severe shortness of breath,
more anxiety and depression.
>> And according to some studies, they report
having a lower quality of life because of their disease.
The fact that COPD differs between men and women is
undisputed. But answering questions as to how and why, Dr. Martinez
emphasizes, is critical in advancing the medical and scientific
understanding of the disease.
How do men and women differ in exposures and other
risk factors?
Are the differences biological or behavioral?
How do exposure patterns affect their
susceptibility to developing the disease and its manifestation?
Why does COPD progress more swiftly in women? Do
outcomes differ because of gender bias in diagnosis, physiological
differences, or phenotypic differences in their disease?
Whatever the question, whether it is about the
biological nature of the disease or clinical impact of therapeutic
studies, you have to have a gender analysis, says Dr. Martinez.
Its an absolutely crucial parameter. Appropriate
gender analysis has to be taken into account because it may be
instrumental in allowing you to interpret what youre trying to study.
More About COPD
(Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
By National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) makes
it hard for you to breathe. Coughing up mucus is often the first sign of
COPD. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are common COPDs.
Your airways branch out inside your lungs like an
upside-down tree. At the end of each branch are small, balloon-like air
sacs. In healthy people, both the airways and air sacs are springy and
elastic. When you breathe in, each air sac fills with air like a small
balloon. The balloon deflates when you exhale. In COPD, your airways and
air sacs lose their shape and become floppy, like a stretched-out rubber
band.
Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD.
Breathing in other kinds of irritants, like pollution, dust or
chemicals, may also cause or contribute to COPD. Quitting smoking is the
best way to avoid developing COPD.
Treatment can make you more comfortable, but there
is no cure.
People with a family history of COPD are more
likely to get the disease if they smoke. The chance of developing COPD
is also greater in people who have spent many years in contact with lung
irritants, such as:
● Air pollution
● Chemical fumes, vapors, and dusts usually linked to certain jobs
A person who has had frequent and severe lung
infections, especially during childhood, may have a greater chance of
developing lung damage that can lead to COPD. Fortunately, this is much
less common today with antibiotic treatments.
Most people with COPD are at least 40 years old or
around middle age when symptoms start. It is unusual, but possible, for
people younger than 40 years of age to have COPD.
Read more at NHLBI
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
