Gender differences in COPD: are women more susceptible to smoking effects than men?

ABSTRACT:

Background

The number of female smokers developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is rapidly increasing, but whether or not there exists a differential susceptibility by gender remains controversial.

Methods

How smoking behaviour and subsequent lung function reduction differed by gender was examined in a study including 954 subjects with COPD and 955 subjects without COPD. The study focused on two subgroups: subjects with COPD <60 years of age (early-onset group, n=316) and subjects with COPD with <20 pack-years of smoking (low exposure group, n=241).

Results

In the low exposure group, female subjects with COPD had lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) % predicted (48.7% vs 55.8%, p=0.001) and more severe disease (50.4% vs 35.6%, p=0.020, in GOL

SUBMITTER: Sorheim IC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8191512 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature