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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has long been considered a condition that occurs in men, particularly smokers. Today you might think of an old photo of a miner or a man in his 70s who smoked heavily his entire life.
In fact, women and those assigned female at birth not only have a higher risk of developing COPD, but they also have a higher risk of dying from COPD compared to men.
According to the American Lung Association, millions of people live with COPD and don’t know they have it.
Here’s what you need to know about COPD, including why the lung disease affects women differently, factors that increase your risk, and how to manage it.
What is COPD?
COPD is a chronic lung disease, meaning your lung tissue and airways have lesions that make it difficult to breathe.
There are two main disorders within this classification:
- Chronic bronchitis, when the airways narrow due to inflammation and scarring, making it difficult to expel (breathe out) air.
- Emphysema, when there are lesions of tiny alveoli in the lungs that make it difficult for air to enter (inhale).
COPD is the leading cause of death for smokers in the United States. But out of five non-smokers who suffer from COPD, four are women.
Read: Myths vs. Reality: COPD
How does COPD affect women compared to men?
Although it’s not clear exactly why COPD affects women differently, some reasons could be related to hormones, particularly estrogen, and even biological differences. Women generally have smaller lungs than men, which could increase the risk of airway damage from irritants.
“Women with COPD tend to have more difficulty breathing, produce less mucus than men, and often develop symptoms at a younger age and with less smoke exposure,” explains Jamie Garfield, MD, professor of surgery and thoracic medicine at the Temple Lung Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Some common symptoms include shortness of breath, non-healing cough, wheezing, chest tightness, and fatigue.
Garfield said people shouldn’t ignore these symptoms or dismiss them as the result of poor physical condition or aging. The COPD diagnostic process involves a breathing test called spirometry. It is a simple test, but doctors often do not order it for women, leading to misdiagnosis or late diagnosis.
What childhood factors predispose you to developing COPD?
Asthma is a risk factor for COPD. Having asthma does not mean you will develop COPD. But if your asthma wasn’t well controlled during childhood, it can cause lung damage, leading to COPD.
In addition to asthma, the risk of COPD increases for people with a history of certain childhood illnesses, such as: B. frequent or severe respiratory infections, and birth problems such as. B. premature birth or fetal growth restriction (FGR). These factors can cause the lungs to not develop normally.
What role do genetics play in COPD?
A genetic disorder linked to the risk of COPD is called alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency. This deficiency is also known as “genetic COPD”. AAT is a protein that protects the lungs from injury, but people with a SERPINA1 gene mutation may have lower levels of AAT.
This genetic mutation doesn’t necessarily mean you have AAT deficiency, but it does increase your risk of developing lung diseases like COPD. Smoking increases the risk even further.
Besides smoking, what other factors increase the risk of COPD?
While smoking is also a major risk factor for COPD in women, other factors can increase this risk, including:
- Asma
- Indoor and outdoor air pollution
- Passive smoking
- Workplace exposure to things like concrete dust, smoke, gases and fumes
“If you have asthma or any of these conditions, don’t assume you’re fine just because you’ve never smoked,” Garfield said. “Ask if it is appropriate to have pulmonary function tests.”
Read: How air quality affects COPD >>
Why loss of lung function is important
COPD can cause lung function to decline over time, making it harder to breathe and stay active. But changes in lung function do not always occur equally quickly in everyone. Exacerbations or crises of COPD directly affect the performance of your lungs and are associated with a more rapid deterioration of lung function. The more frequent and severe the attacks are, the more permanent the lung damage.
COPD damages the airways, reducing the lungs’ ability to expel particles and protect against disease, Garfield explained. “If someone already has lower lung reserve, an infection can trigger a crisis with a high likelihood of hospitalization and a high risk of serious complications.” People with COPD have a higher risk of pneumonia compared to people without COPD.
It is important to treat any lung infection immediately. And staying up to date on vaccinations that protect against respiratory infections such as flu, Covid, pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can help reduce the risk of serious illness from these viruses.
How can you relieve COPD and its symptoms?
If you smoke, the first thing you can do is take steps to quit smoking. Quitting smoking won’t cure COPD, but it will significantly improve your symptoms. Women experience greater relief from their symptoms than men, even a year after quitting smoking.
In addition to not smoking, pulmonary rehabilitation can be helpful in making COPD manageable. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a supervised medical education and training program with personalized exercises useful for people with COPD and other chronic lung diseases. The program also teaches people with COPD how to manage their disorders at home. “It is the most effective way to relieve shortness of breath and even anxiety and depression, and to improve physical performance and quality of life in COPD,” Garfield explained.
“If it starts after hospitalization, [la rehabilitación pulmonar] It also reduces the chances of returning to the hospital and improves survival rates, but even so, less than 5% of eligible patients take advantage of it,” Garfield said.
Take care of your health, determine what is normal for you, and share your medical history with your doctor. Report any worrisome changes or worsening of your symptoms immediately. There is no cure for COPD, but early diagnosis and treatment can help get your COPD under control so you can live and breathe better with the disease.
This educational resource was created with support from Sanofi and Regeneron.
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